Batman & Benson 4
by Mcfergeson
Summary: Things get very chilly as Olivia Benson and the Batman face a cold new threat on the streets of Gotham City. And as if that wasn't enough, an old enemy also returns.
1. Chapter 1

_Olivia Benson, Alex Cabot and all other characters from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit are owned by Dick Wolf and NBC/Universal. _

_The character of Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Batman/Bruce Wayne, Batgirl/Barbra Gordon, Robin/Dick Grayson, and all over Batman characters are owned by DC Comics. _

_Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, as well as the Justice League, are all owned by DC Comics. _

_I'm not making any money off of this story. It's just a fanfic written for kicks and giggles. _

_Note: In this story, Olivia and Alex are lovers. If you have a problem with that sort of thing, then consider yourself warned. Also, be warned that this story gets very dark. _

**Batman & Benson 4**

**Chapter One**

He still remembered the days of light and warmth, back before the accident, back when he was still human.

He recalled a bright summer's day, from what now felt like a thousand years ago, when he and his beloved wife both played hooky from their respective jobs. They had a picnic in the park, and he watched her lounge flat on her back, her blond hair spread out in a fan tail against the blanket; she lazily gazed up at him with pure love in her eyes as he very gently massaged her face with the tips of his fingers.

The sight of her as she lay on the blanket, smiling serenely with her eyes closed, as he delicately traced the outline of her face with his fingers, still haunted him. Just when it looked as if she had fallen asleep, he leaned over and kissed her gently--and her faint smile became a broad grin as she opened her eyes and tightly embraced him in return. They had kissed passionately.

This was the image that kept him going through the dark days after the accident. He had wandered the city, confused, dazed--not even knowing who he was, at first. But he remembered her. And her memory was what brought him back from the edge of madness. Despite what happened to him, in spite of the inhuman monster that he had become, her loving memory had kept him sane. Just the knowledge that there was a kind, caring woman out there who loved and cherished him was enough to keep him from committing the blackest, most vile thoughts that ran through his mind.

Once his memories of his wife had fully returned, once he truly remembered who she was and how much she had meant to him, he sought her out. Where they used to live was still somewhat fuzzy to him--but he recalled seeing her in a specific building every single day, and so he figured that this must have been the place they called home.

But once he arrived at the very building that he recognized so well from his memories, he was stunned to see that it was a hospital. He climbed the outer walls--he could do things like this now--until he reached the window of the room where he had so often visited his wife.

And he saw her.

She now lay so still and lifeless in the hospital bed, that she might as well be dead. The sight of her like this brought back more memories for him--bad memories of how her young, vital life had been unjustly cut short by a dreadful disease.

He now remembered how he had tried to save her. He was working on a way to keep her disease-ridded body preserved until a cure could be found. Yet, because of the very same accident that had changed him into this shambling thing, whatever hope of saving his wife had died right along with his humanity.

Wracked with grief and remorse, he began to cry, right there on the windowsill. When he heard a faint clinking sound, he glanced down and saw that his tears had turned into little ice droplets that fell on the concrete.

There was a shrill scream from below. He turned to see several people in the parking lot, all staring fearfully up at him. Their presence enraged him. Because of them, he was being denied what little time he had left with his beloved.

A pair of security guards ran out with their guns drawn. "Oh, good God!" one of them cried in horror. "What the hell is that thing?!"

The other guard took careful aim and fired his gun.

He felt a slight sting as the bullet entered his left shoulder, which caused him to roar in anger as his hand clenched into a fist. It was hard for him to speak, now--his mouth no longer worked like it used to. When he unclenched his hand, a razor-sharp icicle now lay in his palm. He threw it at the guard, who took a step back as the icicle impaled the asphalt ground in front of him like a spear through soft earth.

He then climbed up to the roof and ran across to the other side of the building. Once at the ledge, he jumped over to the roof of the other building. He continued this process until he was several blocks away, on top of an abandoned building. He was surprised at how he wasn't even out of breath--which was amazing, considered how he'd just been shot.

Another memory emerged from the dimness of his long-gone past; it was an emotion more than anything else: pure hatred. There were a trio of names attached to this hatred: Walter Larson, Donald Watts and Peter Greene, the chief administrator, head of security and lead researcher at the Gotham City division of Star Labs, respectively. They had tried to stop his research to preserve his beloved--to the point where he had to go into the lab after hours, just like that night when he had…the…accident.

But his accident…was no accident, was it? Larson, Watts and Greene had sought to stop him by sabotaging his experiment. As the memories of his previous life returned, as everything that had occurred became crystal clear, his rage only intensified.

He glanced at his wounded shoulder, and could actually see the bullet through the opaque skin. It looked as if it was getting bigger--wait, no; not bigger…the bullet was being pushed up out of the skin. He watched, fascinated, as the bullet broke through the surface of his icy skin and harmlessly fell to the ground.

The skin on his shoulder then instantly healed, as good as new. He flexed his arm, and there was even no pain--it was as if he had never been shot. He may have lost his humanity, but he gained something else: superpowers. And he realized that with these newfound powers, if he had to helplessly watch his wife die, and then live out the remainder of his own life as this hideous, misbegotten creature, he could at least make sure that certain people paid dearly for their part in this tragedy.

What was that old saying again? Ah, yes, he remembered now: Revenge is a dish that was best served cold.

Chunks of ice cracked and fell from his face as he smiled viciously.

It was about to get very cold in Gotham City….

**B&B**

Inspector Olivia Benson of the Gotham City Special Victim's Unit sat in the passenger seat of the squad car with a small smile on her face. Any time she busted the chops of a scumbag was very pleasurable for her, and this moment was the calm before the fun began, so to speak. Linda Preston, Olivia's assistant and much-valued Girl Friday, sat in the driver's seat. Both women wore bulletproof vests with the letters GCPD written on the chest and back. They were parked about half a block away from Penguin's Retreat, a new nightclub that had recently opened--and which was the focus of tonight's raid.

Olivia glanced up and down the rain-soaked street as Linda consulted her police dispatch radio. The wet asphalt shined under the street lights. Olivia realized that the rain might thin the crowds tonight--but then again, the crowds weren't whom they were actually targeting with this raid.

Linda turned to Olivia and said, "Everybody's ready, boss."

Olivia gave her a broad smile as she gestured at the night club and said, "Knock, knock, Linda."

Linda keyed her dispatch radio. "All units, move in. I say again: everybody move in now."

Olivia watched with satisfaction at the small army of police officers--half of whom were clad in the intimidating black armor of the tactical response team--as they emerged from several nondescript vans and trucks and raced across the street to the Penguin's Retreat nightclub.

As she and Linda got out of the car, Olivia grinned broadly at the sight of several large, bull-like men who looked like mobsters, as well as their molls, who frantically ran for their lives--only to still be caught by the swarming uniformed police. The tactical boys ignored the action on the street and charged straight into the nightclub in full force. And that was where Olivia wanted to be.

When she entered the nightclub, Olivia saw pandemonium as both patrons and waitresses were rounded up by the tactical team. The waitresses were clad in scant tuxedo costumes with fishnet stockings and heels. One of them glared angrily at Olivia.

"Hey, what's going on?!" she said. Judging by her heavy accent, she sounded like she was fresh off the rough and tumble streets of the Southside of Gotham City. "I ain't done nothing wrong, here, toots!"

"If you ain't done nothing wrong," Olivia said, mimicking her accent. "Then you ain't got nothing to worry about, then. Right, toots?"

"Youse making fun of me?" the waitress said, as she took a step towards Olivia. "Why, I oughta…."

Olivia turned to face the woman. "You oughta…what?"

The waitress--seeing that Olivia had not backed down--instantly lost her luster for battle right there and then. "Um, nothing…."

"That was the smartest thing you did all night," Linda told her.

"Get over to the wall with the others," Olivia ordered the waitress, who sullenly did what she was told. "And keep your mouth shut."

"Inspector Benson!"

"Yeah," Olivia called, as she walked over to Mike Reynolds and Andrea Rowan, two of her best detectives in the Gotham City SVU. They stood by a table with a man whom they had placed in handcuffs. "What's up?"

"Meet George Martina," Andrea said with a smile. "He's wanted on several charges of child molestation and attempted kidnapping in Metropolis."

"Why, hello George," Olivia cheerily said to the red-faced man. "Nice to meet you!"

"This is a huge misunderstanding," he cried. "I'm not the guy you think I am!"

"You can explain that to the Metropolis police," Mike said. "They'll also be very happy to see you, I'm sure."

"Andrea, Mike--great catch," Olivia complimented them, as they led Martina away.

Although pleased to have caught one scumbag, Olivia still scanned the crowds, looking for one face in particular--whom she was annoyed to see was not there. "Don't tell me he's not even _in_ tonight…."

Bob Kale, the commander of the tactical squad, appeared on the balcony directly above them. "Inspector Benson," he called. "We've found Big Bird in his nest up here."

"Good." Olivia nodded, happy. She turned to Linda and added, "Let's go pay the little bastard a visit, shall we?"

They walked up a grand, sweeping staircase and entered a large office--Olivia noted with disgust that it was bigger than her entire apartment--and found their quarry seated in a huge recliner chair behind a majestic desk.

Oswald Cobblepott, a.k.a. The Penguin, didn't show any outward sign of annoyance at their presence; instead he calmly sat back with a broad smile that made the cigarette holder in his mouth flip upwards. He regarded Olivia with one eye behind a monocle, and was clad in a black tuxedo. This outfit--along with his thin, pointy nose, pale skin, and short, squat body--actually helped to make him look like the very artic bird that he was named after.

"Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!" The Penguin barked out that mystifying laughter of his, as he slapped his knee. "Well, well, if it isn't Inspector Olivia Benson, commander of the prestigious Special Victims Unit. And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, my dear?"

As Olivia glared back at this loathsome little man, the horrifying memory of Alex--her Alex--locked up in a cage like an animal, came back to her. The Penguin was the one who had kept Alex, along with a host of other poor women, caged up to be sold the world over as sex slaves. It was a horrendous crime that the Penguin managed to walk on--thanks to a stupid technicality. And it took everything Olivia had right now to keep from grabbing the little rotten bastard's head and bash it repeatedly against the nice, shiny surface of his mahogany desk.

But Olivia knew far better then to do something like that. Instead, she just smiled sweetly. "We got a complaint that you've been selling alcohol to minors here, Penguin. We're just checking it out."

"Oh, heavens, no!" he cried, looking outraged. "My establishment would never do any such thing. As it stands, the bouncers at the door prevent any misguided little underage darlings who might try and gain access."

"Yeah, well, we still have to check out any reports," Olivia said with a shrug.

"With a full complement of tactical police?" the Penguin asked. "Isn't that overkill, Inspector--even for you? Oh, but then, the Gotham City Police Force _has_ been rather overzealous of late. Why, just last week, I was closed down for several days because my liquor license had come under question. And the week before that, I was shut down because they thought I had violated fire safety regulations."

"Uh, the fire code thing--that wasn't us," Olivia said with a shake of her head. "That was the fire department."

"Yes, but with all of this constant interference, I might start thinking that the powers that be here in Gotham City had it in for me," he said, with a broad grin. "_If_ I suffered from a persecution complex, that is."

Olivia merely smiled back at him as she and Linda went over to speak with Mike, who stood in the doorway to the Penguin's office. Olivia knew full well that the Penguin was actually right; all of this was indeed a concentrated harassment campaign against him that had been launched by the Mayor and Commissioner Gordon. With the recent murder of mob boss Rupert Thorne by Two-Face, there was presently a power vacuum in the underworld within Gotham City, and Gordon and the Mayor very much wanted to keep it that way.

But once the Penguin was released from jail with all charges dropped, everyone feared that he might seize control of what was once Thorne's domain. Nobody believed the Penguin was really on the up and up, even after the little slug had seemingly set himself up as a legitimate businessman as the owner of this nightclub. And so began what Harvey Bullock jokingly called "operation ball buster," where the combined efforts of the city's agencies set out to harass the Penguin into either slipping up and getting himself sent back to jail--or have him get so annoyed that he would just leave the city altogether.

But if he had any illegal operations running, he kept them well-hidden. And even Olivia grudgingly admitted that the Penguin was a hard man to intimidate; so far--much to everyone's consternation--he was staying put within Gotham City, despite their constant harassment.

"What do you have, Mike?" Olivia asked hopefully.

He shook his head. "Other than finding Martina here, absolutely nothing. All of the patrons present tonight are well over the legal age. Maybe you can hang Martina over his head? Try and shake him with that?"

"No," Olivia said miserably. "He'll just claim that Martina was just another patron--which he no doubt actually was."

"So it's a bust, then," Linda said with a sigh.

"As far as I'm concerned, catching Martina made this whole thing worth it," Olivia told her. "And, besides, while the Penguin's not showing it, I _know_ that all of this has got to be ruffling his feathers, big time."

They walked back into the office, where Olivia told Bob Kale to order his people to pack it in. She then turned to a grinning Penguin and formally announced they were leaving.

"I must say, Inspector Benson, you are looking very tanned and rested," he said, with that broad grin still on his face. "Have you recently come back from vacation?"

"From the Caribbean," she said curtly--wanting nothing more now than to leave.

"I'll admit, Inspector, that the sight of you in a bikini would be quite lovely to behold," he said in a leering tone. "Perhaps you would be so kind to wear one the next time you come to harass me. Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

Linda let out a short gasp of shock, while Mike shot him a dangerous look. But Olivia refused to let Penguin get her goat that easily. As she continued to walk out of his office with Linda and Mike, Olivia said over her shoulder: "In your dreams, Bird-Boy!"

"Ah, but you've no doubt went to the Caribbean with your dear love, Alexandra Cabot," Penguin called after her. "Now _she_ must be quite a sight in a bikini! Especially seeing how she's so…_lick-able_. As well as I should know."

Olivia, enraged, stopped short and whirled around. She charged at the Penguin--just as both Mike and Bob Kale firmly grabbed her arms on either side. Linda jumped in front of her and tried to get Olivia to look her in the eye--but Olivia ignored her and glared at the hateful little troll behind the desk.

"Oh, dear me! I appeared to have struck a raw nerve," the Penguin said, still grinning fiendishly. "Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

Olivia shook her head at the Penguin, trying to attack him, but the men held her back. "You stinking mother--"

"Don't do this, Liv," Linda firmly whispered. "Don't let this bastard get to you like this."

She took a deep breath just then and nodded in agreement. "You're right, Linda. He's not worth it." Olivia glanced over at Mike, and then Bob Hale with a slight smile. "You guys wanna let me go, now? I promise to behave myself."

"Sorry, Inspector," Mike said, as he and Hale immediately released her. "We were only--"

"I understand. No apologies needed," Olivia told them. With a final, disgusted glance at the Penguin, she added, "C'mon, let's get out of here. The air in this place is beginning to stink…."

As Olivia strode out of the office with the others, the Penguin's jeering laughter followed them all the way down the steps. "Waugh! Waugh! Waugh! Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!!!"

'We'll get him,' Olivia somberly thought. 'One way, or another, we're gonna take down this miserable little son of a bitch once and for all….'

**B&B**

'Why'd we always get the weird cases?' Detective Harvey Bullock wearily wondered.

They had been called to an intruder alarm at Mercy General, the local hospital--which was a call that Harvey initially thought was normal sounding enough. But then they arrived and started talking to the witnesses. And from what Harvey gathered from everyone at the scene, the descriptions of the perp were…well, pretty freaky, to say the least.

Harvey spoke to two security guards who encountered the intruder, who was--by their description--a big ice man that hung off the side of the building. One of the guards said he shot at it, but said that the bullet had no effect. The ice man then got angry (which Harvey supposed was only natural, since nobody likes being shot at) and threw an icicle at them.

Apparently sensing that Harvey was having some trouble accepting this story, the security guards brought him over to a section of the parking lot, which had a hole in the asphalt.

"What's this?" Harvey asked them.

"That's where the icicle landed," one of the security guards replied. "It made that hole."

"Where _is_ the icicle?"

"Oh, it melted," the other guard answered with a smile. He glanced at some of the reporters who roamed around the crime scene. "Say, is Nancy Werner gonna cover this? I always love her 'What's Weird in Gotham' news stories!"

Harvey muttered a curse under his breath as he stared up at the night sky in disbelief. "Where did the ice man go? Did _he_ melt, too?"

"No, he crawled up onto the roof," the other guard said. He pointed at a gorgeous woman reporter speaking to a TV camera. "Hey, is _that_ Nancy Werner? You think she'd interview us?"

"How the hell should I know?" Harvey exploded. "What do I look like, her manager?!"

"C'mon, Bill," one of the guards said, with a glare at Harvey. "Let's go talk to Nancy…."

"Yeah, great idea," Harvey muttered, as he walked into the hospital lobby. "Nancy should talk to you two--God knows yer weird enough for her!"

Upon entering the lobby, Harvey was relieved to see the only other sane person in the building: his partner, Detective Renee Montoya.

"Yo, Montoya," he said. "You getting better luck than me at making any sense of this freaking situation?"

The young Spanish woman gave him a wide-eyed look of incredulity as she shook her head. "¡Ellos son todos locos!"

For the first time that night, Harvey burst into a smile. "Yeah, you said it: they _are_ all crazy. According to my witnesses, the hospital's been attacked by an icicle-throwing abominable snowman."

"According to _my_ witnesses, he looked more like Frosty The Snowman," Montoya said, as she regarded her notepad with a look of disapproval. "Complete with scarf, pipe and black hat…."

"I swear, is everybody going nuts tonight?" Harvey asked irritably. "Or is there a full moon that we don't know about?"

"Or maybe we've got a new super villain on the loose?" Montoya suggested.

"In which case, I wouldn't mind, because then it wouldn't be our problem, but the Bat's. He can handle all the weirdos, being a weirdo himself." He paused when Montoya abruptly looked depressed. "What's wrong, Renee?"

"I just got this mental image of Batman fighting Frosty The Snowman," she said, shaking her head. "That just ain't right, Harvey. I loved Frosty The Snowman when I was a kid. That was my favorite cartoon."

Shaking his head, Harvey grabbed her arm. "Come on."

"What? Wait, what are you doing?" Montoya asked. She fought to get free of his grip as he pulled her down the hallway.

"Getting you the hell out of here," he growled. "Because it's clear that whatever's in the air here that's making all these people crazy is now affecting you!"

She burst into giggles just then. "All right, Harvey, very funny. Now quit kidding and knock it off. Please! People are looking at us."

"Who's kidding?" Harvey said, as he released her with a smile. "The both of us are gonna start seeing imaginary snowmen if we stay here much longer."

"I'm still waiting on word on the surveillance footage from the parking lot," she told him. Then Montoya abruptly glanced over and shyly said, "Oh, hi…."

Harvey saw a cute young nurse dressed in blue scrubs who had been watching them--actually, Harvey noted that the young woman, whose blond hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, stared very intently at Montoya.

Harvey, who thought this chick was behaving a little too creepy, angrily said, "Why don't cha take a picture, darling. It'll last longer…."

"Um, they got the security footage set up from when the ice guy was here," the nurse told them. She looked embarrassed at having been caught staring at Montoya. Harvey didn't know what her problem was, but at least she stopped staring at his partner.

She led them into the security office, where Harvey grimaced once he saw that all the angles on the cameras were facing down at the parking lot. There were plenty of shots of stunned people staring upwards in amazement. But since the perp was reportedly hanging off the side of the building, none of the cameras caught sight of him. There wasn't even any footage of the icicle that Frosty threw at the security guards.

The security guard who was seated at the console had the dazed, unfocused look of having just woken up from a nap, so Harvey directed his question at the little nurse. "You know what room the intruder was outside of?"

"It's a private room that belongs to Nora Fries," she replied.

"I don't suppose _she_ saw anything?" Harvey asked.

The nurse grimly shook her head. "Mrs. Fries is in the advanced stages of a rare genetic disease called McGregor Syndrome. She's been in a coma for the last few weeks, now. I'm afraid she wouldn't have seen or heard anything."

"Well, looks like we've done everything we could here," Harvey said. When he turned back to speak with Montoya, he was startled to see the little nurse was whispering something in her ear. "Montoya?!"

Both Montoya and the little nurse jumped back with guilty looks--as if they were a pair of schoolgirls who were caught doing something illicit. "Yeah, you're right; there's nothing more we can do here, Harvey," Montoya quickly said. She turned to the nurse and shook her hand. "Thank you for all your help."

"Anytime," the nurse replied. And a wide-eyed Harvey saw that her thumb slowly brushed across Montoya's hand as they shook.

"Ok, Harvey, let's go," Montoya said, as she practically raced outside the security office.

When Harvey caught up with her in the hallway, he said, "Wait a minute, what was she whispering to you in there?"

Montoya rolled her eyes in exasperation. "She said she thought I had a nice giggle. Can you believe that?"

Harvey blinked at her in disbelief as they resumed walking down the hallway. "That little twit was coming onto you?! I guess she was disappointed to find out that you don't swing that way, huh? Man, imagine the nerve!"

"Um…yeah," Montoya said, preoccupied, as she discreetly tucked a folded, hand-written note into her jacket pocket. "What nerve…."

**B&B**

'It sure is beautiful,' Robin thought, as they hovered above the city.

Seen at night, the lights of Gotham City looked like tiny sparkling emeralds amidst lines of white and red lights--which was the traffic in the streets below. Robin thought it was cool that, even from this height, mundane traffic looked magical.

As he sat and admired his adopted city in the rear seat of the Batwing, Robin blissfully thought that--from this viewpoint--it appeared as if nothing ever went wrong in Gotham City.

And that certainly appeared to be the case tonight. With only a few hours of darkness left, they barely had anything to do but glide over the city on patrol, listening to the police band radio as it chattered away about small time stuff, like jaywalkers and the hunt for a stray cat. Even the police dispatchers sounded bored.

"You know, if this keeps up," Robin said to the pilot in the front seat, "we may very well have to call it an early night."

"All units, all units," the police dispatcher urgently called. "Silent alarm tripped at Western View Gallery. Hostages taken."

The pilot tipped his head to the side, revealing a pair of pointy bat ears on top. "You were saying?"

"Yeah, I know, Batman," Robin said with a sigh. "Me and my big mouth…."

"There's a charity benefit being held there tonight, in the main ballroom," Batman informed him. "Hang on."

As the Batwing veered sharply to the right, dropping further down into the city, Robin listened as the police dispatcher--who was a woman with a nice voice--continued her rapid-fire description of the crime scene. "All units, be advised: perpetrators are reported to be armed with snow-making weaponry. Repeat: perpetrators have snow-making weaponry."

"You hear that?" Robin said with a frown. "They're armed with a snow-making machine? What are we up against, a bunch of disgruntled skiers?"

"We'll know soon enough," Batman said. "We're here."

After Batman commanded the Batwing to hover, they got out and jumped onto the patio section on the roof of the Western View Gallery. The patio surrounded the ballroom, which was constructed from an old penthouse. They snuck up to either side of a pair of French doors and peered inside.

Robin saw several dozen well-dressed people on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Their captors strode around, armed with assorted machine guns. Robin saw they were all clad in blue and white trimmed parkas, complete with hoods that were lined with white fur. They also wore blue colored visors.

He glanced over at Batman, who was nothing more than a shadowy figure on the other side of the doorway, and said, "Disgruntled Eskimos?"

"I know them," Batman whispered back. "At least, I recognize the design of their clothing. They're with Captain Cold."

"I thought he was The Flash's problem. What's he doing here?"

"Perhaps he came for a sample of the vaunted Gotham City night life," Batman replied dryly. After a pause, he asked, "Do you notice anything unusual?"

Robin glanced back and saw about four of Cold's armed minions as they stood around, waving their guns about, and barking orders. "If they're here to rob these people, they're not doing much of that…they're just standing around. I don't get it…if they already got the loot, what are they waiting around, for?"

"There's something else," Batman said. "See any sign of their boss?"

A quick glance at the scene inside confirmed that only Cold's minions were present. "Wait, where's Captain Cold?"

"Good question; one I intend to find the answer to," Batman said. "Think you can handle this bunch on your own?"

A chill of excitement ran up Robin's spine. Until now, Robin had stayed in the background and learned and trained like a good apprentice, while he simply watched the Batman in action. Batman had allowed him to fight in one on one engagements here and there in the past, but this would be his first large scale combat scenario.

"Yes," Robin readily replied.

"Remember your training, and maintain your focus," Batman told him, repeating two well-worn adages that had been grinded into Robin during his many months of training.

"I will," Robin said, as he glanced inside and sized up the overall force of his opponents. He turned back to Batman and added, "And, hey, thanks very much for--"

But Robin found himself speaking to empty space. His mentor was already gone.

"Right," Robin muttered, as he pulled out his grappling gun. "He's really got to teach me _that_ little trick sometime…."

He climbed to the roof and gained entrance to the ballroom by cutting his way through the insect screen on a skylight that had been left open. Robin paused and mentally placed each and every one of Captain Cold's men within his mind. There were four of them. One stood directly beneath him, leaning up against a column.

Robin smiled. 'Piece of cake….'

Using the grappling gun, he slowly lowered himself into the ballroom, head first. Then, once he hovered directly behind the man, Robin put his skills as a former trapeze artist to good use. Still hanging from the grapple wire, Robin swung his body around until his boot bashed into the back of the man's head. The blow knocked him straight into the column, and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

One of the female hostages let out a frightened whimper, until Robin--who expertly disengaged himself from the grapple wire--placed a gloved finger up to his mouth, indicating for her to be quiet. He quickly hid behind the column and waited for one of the other thugs to notice their comrade was down.

It didn't take long; a few seconds later, one of the other men came over, calling the downed man's name. As Robin heard him come around the opposite side of the column, he braced himself for the attack that was to come.

Once the thug cleared the column, Robin jumped out and slammed his cupped hand right into the man's throat--just like how Batman had taught him.

"Arggh!" was all the thug had to say, as he reeled back in both shock and pain.

Robin grabbed the stunned thug and turned him around, with his back facing Robin, just as the other two thugs came up to them, with their guns drawn. Robin placed his boot at the small of the man's back and kicked him right into one of his accomplices.

The last man, staring at Robin in shock, went for a radio.

Robin dove straight at him.

"Captain Cold," the man said into the radio, "we've got a--"

He never finished, because Robin tackled him to the floor and slugged him hard across the face. The radio fell from the thug's hand with a burst of static.

Now that all the thugs were down, the hostages all began to get up from the floor as a panic swept the room.

"Just like I said," Robin muttered, "piece of cake."

Robin stood and held up his hands in a calming gesture. He smiled slightly when he saw a major babe in a low cut strapless gown staring at him with great interest.

'Oh yeah, this is where the superhero bit _really_ gets fun,' Robin thought, as he flashed the young woman his best grin. "It's ok, miss," he told her in a reassuring tone. "Everything's under control, now."

"What about him?" she asked, with a nervous glance over Robin's shoulder.

Robin turned just in time to see a fifth parka-clad thug come charging right at him. He threw a punch, which Robin blocked--only to throw an expert karate kick that knocked Robin to the floor.

'Maintain focus,' Robin thought, as he reminded himself of one of Batman's golden rules of combat--which he ignored just now by drooling over the babe. As he lay on the floor, Robin glanced up and saw his assailant now loomed over him. And he was instantly reminded of another of Batman's golden rules of combat right there and then.

"Never be afraid to fight dirty," Robin muttered, as he abruptly brought his boot up and kicked the thug right in the crotch.

As the thug doubled over in agony, Robin finished him off with a another kick to the face. Once he got to his feet, he saw that the crowds had already evacuated through the fire exits. The girl who caught his eye earlier was also long gone.

Robin walked over to one of the other thugs in the middle of the ballroom, who was reaching for a gun while still sprawled out on the floor. He stopped and glanced up at Robin, who shook his head at him.

"If your boss is Captain Cold, then does that make you guys privates?" Robin asked. "Or do each of you goons have a rank?"

"Huh?" the thug asked, as he stared at Robin as though he were crazy.

"Never mind," Robin said, as he slugged the man into unconsciousness, "it was strictly a rhetorical question…."

**B&B**

"Captain Cold," the voice on the radio said, "we've got a--"

"What?" Cold demanded into the radio. "Speak up!"

When he was met with only silence, Cold glanced at one of his henchmen with a smile and said, "It would appear we have company, Chet."

"It's him, ain't it, boss?" Chet anxiously asked. "It's the Bat!"

"He'll be a frozen Bat when I'm done with him," Cold replied. He stormed over to where his other henchmen were located, and smiled when he saw they had emptied the vault of all of its precious stones, which had been placed in a series of briefcases "It doesn't matter, anyway. We're done!"

"Yes, I couldn't agree more," a demonic voice whispered from the shadows around them. "You're quite finished."

"Oh, God," Chet cried with a terrified look. "I knew we shouldn't have come to Gotham City! This place is cursed!"

"Silence! Or you'll be wearing an ice gag," Captain Cold threatened him. He pulled out his pair of cold guns and aimed them into the darkness just beyond the support columns. "We don't want any trouble, Batman. But, if you push me, then I'll just have to give you the cold shoulder!"

He pulled the trigger on both of his cold guns and created a wall of ice in-between the columns. This provided instant cover against the Dark Knight so Captain Cold and his boys could carry their loot out of the vault area and back upstairs.

"Let's go, boys!" Captain Cold ordered. "The stolen ice won't slide up the steps by themselves."

His men picked up the briefcases of precious stones and proceeded to carry them over to the staircase--yet they stopped when one of the ice walls in-between the columns abruptly exploded.

"He's still coming through!" Chet screamed in horror.

'There's always a whiner in every gang,' Cold thought with annoyance. He aimed one of his freeze guns at the open space and sealed it shut once more with another blast of ice. He then pointed the other cold gun right at Chet's face and said, "You forget that I've fought the Flash to a stand-still! And so what chance does a psycho dressed in a bat costume have against--"

Captain Cold was startled when a great shadowy shape suddenly lunged itself right at his boys, knocking them all down like pins in a bowling alley. The shadowy figure turned towards him as it arose, its cape sweeping behind it like bat's wings.

Cold didn't know how he managed to get on this side of his wall of ice--he as sure as hell didn't _see_ the Bat get by--but Batman would live to regret it. He aimed both of his cold guns right at the Dark Knight and fired. He smiled as he saw the grimance on Batman's face. "It's an early frost this year, Batman!"

**B&B**

Batman grunted when he was struck full-on by both of Captain Cold's guns. He quickly knelt down and brought his cape around to cover himself--and it worked. The cape protected him. But the cape was also becoming completely covered with ice, which encased him in a freezing prison. The weight from the ice was heavy enough that he could barely stand up. Captain Cold ceased shooting, satisfied that Batman was down for the count. "See, Chet? Even frozen bats become grounded once their wings have been kissed by ice."

'We'll see about that,' Batman thought. He flicked his hands, which sent the signal for his cape to solidify into a pair of glider wings. Batman wasn't sure if there was enough juice in the system for the wings to form under this much ice.

But thankfully, there was.

There was a thunderous cracking sound as the ice shattered, once his cape solidified into the glider wings. Not only did it free Batman from the ice, but it also had a very nice side effect of psyching Cold and his men out--they watched, terrified, as Batman's cape flicked off the ice and spread out into its full expanse, looking like a pair of bat wings. This sight terrified the men working with Cold so much that they began running up the steps in a mass panic, as they left the stolen jewels behind. Cold angrily yelled after them, but his men were already long gone.

Batman smiled ever so slightly. He still had his flair for theatrics. Ra's Al Ghul, wherever he was, would approve.

Batman flicked his hands once more, dissolving the glider wings back into a cape as he reached for a Batdart. When Captain Cold aimed one of his cold guns at him again, Batman flung the Batdart.

The Batdart struck home, embedding itself in Captain Cold's hand and causing him to drop the gun as he recoiled in pain. Batman launched himself into another attack, just as Captain Cold fired with his remaining gun. Cold aimed at the floor, turning it into an ice skating rink within the blink of an eye.

'Damn it!' Batman furiously thought, as he slid across the floor and slammed into the wall. He quickly recovered and got to his feet, but not before Cold and his men made their getaway up the stairs. And Cold had managed to block over the doorway with another wall of ice. Batman glanced around and was pleased to see that at least Captain Cold and his boys had left the diamonds behind.

As Batman quickly placed explosive pellets on the ice, he tapped the side of his cowl, just over his ear, and made a call. "Robin, Cold and his men are headed up your way."

"Correction," Robin said despairingly, "they're already gone…."

"What happened?"

"Cold created a wall of ice, blocking me off from them."

"Hold on," Batman said, as he took cover from the exploding ice. Once the doorway was clear, Batman went up the stairs. He entered the ballroom just in time to see Robin using his own explosive pellets to blast his way through the shield of ice that Captain Cold had momentarily imprisoned him behind.

Batman was pleased to see the pile of unconscious thugs in the center of the empty ballroom. "Any trouble?"

"None," Robin said with a shake of his head. "Well, one of these guys managed to give me a scare, but I scared him right back."

"Come on, let's see if we can't find out where Cold has gone," Batman said, as he and Robin ran out to the balcony. "And you can call her."

"Really?" Robin said with a broad grin. He placed the back of his gloved hand up to his face and uttered the two words that he had been dying to say for ages: "Come here."

When the Batwing rose up from the blackness to greet them, it was all Robin could do to keep from letting out an excited whoop. But although he maintained his professionalism, Robin still had an ear to ear grin on his face as he got in the Batwing with Batman.

Batman took the controls and made the Batwing fly in several large sweeping patterns over the city. The police band was also chattering away, telling them that the police had arrived at the ballroom and vault. All of the hostages were present and accounted for--and, just as importantly, they were all safe.

But Captain Cold and the remnants of his men appeared to have disappeared for now.

"This really sucks," Robin muttered dejectedly.

"Look at it this way, you saved the hostages, and I stopped Cold from stealing the diamonds," Batman told him. "All in all, it was a pretty good night. You've got to take your victories where you can get them in this business."

"Yeah but we didn't catch Cold." Robin abruptly burst into a grin. "Hey, I made a nifty little joke there, Batman. Get it, catch Cold?"

"Yeah, I got it," Batman grumbled, with a shake of his head. "And if you keep making corny jokes like that, you'll be walking back to Wayne Manor."

"Uh, yes, sir," Robin quickly said. "Point taken."

**B&B**

He was grateful to have found this abandoned building. It offered the perfect sanctuary for him, a place where he could rest for the time being. And while he rested, he dreamt of her.

His beloved.

He danced with her on a grassy meadow. It was a playful dance of a pair of lovers with all the time in the world. He held her in his arms as she swept her head back in a graceful ballet move. Then she brought her head back up, and they began to hold each other closer, as their mouths slowly sought each other for a passionate kiss.

Yet that kiss would never come, for he was rudely awakened by a noise. It was actually a jumble of noises; of voices arguing back and forth, and casting accusations.

Who were these people, and how dare they intrude on his sanctuary? What kind of a world was this becoming when one could not seek refuge in an abandoned building?

The ice on his joints cracked and popped as he got up from the corner and strode over to the source of the noise. It was a group of men in the next room, he saw them through a massive hole in the wall. They were all clad in the same style parkas, with visors over their eyes. One of the men had a gun in his hand, and sought to control the others--yet they were all frightened and angry and continued to speak over each other as they argued.

One man stood off to the side, and he said, over and over: "We shouldn't have come to Gotham City. This place is cursed! We should never have come to Gotham--"

It was this man who saw him first, and the look of terror in his eyes was somehow comforting to him. If nothing else, if they won't respect you, then you might as well make them fear you.

More ice cracked and fell from his face as he broke into a smile.

**B&B**

"COLD!"

Captain Cold shook his head in disgust. He glanced over at Chet and seriously thought about just blasting him with the cold gun. As if it wasn't bad enough that they all ran away from the Batman like a bunch of frightened kids, without taking the diamonds, Cold suffered a bad hand injury, thanks to that bat freak. And now Chet's whining again.

"COLD!" Chet said again, with more hysterics.

"WHAT?!" Cold replied.

Chet stabbed a finger out to point at something--

--and his entire arm instantly froze solid.

As Chet let out a scream of pain, Captain Cold glanced down at his guns, thinking they might had accidentally gone off. But the guns were switched off, sitting quietly in their holsters.

"Hey, get a load of this guy!" one of his men shouted.

"Looks like this place wasn't as abandoned as we thought," another said.

Cold found himself staring at a tall, bulky figure whose skin color was a strange mixture of bluish-white. Its eyes were jet black holes set within a face that appeared to be covered over with ice. The man--if one could call him that--stood on the other side of a large hole in the wall. Captain Cold didn't know who--or what--he was supposed to be, but this creature caused him great unease.

"Make it clear to him that this is _our_ abandoned building, boys," Cold said.

His men opened up on the stranger with every one of their weapons. And every one of the bullets struck their target.

And yet he still stood there, staring at them. Until he abruptly raised his hands at them.

"You wish to give up?" Cold said, smiling. "It'll be a cold day in hell before I--"

The stranger spread open his hands, and then there was a blizzard. Cold's men yelled and screamed as the temperature in the room inexplicably lowered to just below freezing. They were all viciously pelted by ice shards, and as Captain Cold struggled his way through the barrage, he realized something.

He could no longer hear his men shouting.

The answer came when he tripped over the frozen body of one of his men who lay sprawled on the floor--his frigid form was contorted in pain, which reminded Cold of one of the victims of the volcano they found in Pompeii. Only instead of ash, this man was covered in ice.

Captain Cold always felt that one of his best qualities was knowing when to call it quits. And that time was now.

He ran out the door and onto the street. But then something that felt like a sledgehammer struck his legs, knocking him to the ground. Cold glanced down and saw that his legs had been instantly bonded together by a single band of ice that ran from his ankles to his knees.

When the creature loomed over him, Captain Cold instinctively raised his guns and fired directly at it.

The creature glanced down at the ice that was shot onto its chest, then let out a bellow of laughter.

'Snart, you idiot,' Cold thought, as he cursed his stupidity. He realized that shooting his cold guns at this thing was about as effective as using a flame thrower on a volcano. In this case, it was ice against ice.

The creature grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. Cold was stunned to see that its face, as well as its entire body, appeared to be covered within a layer of ice that shifted and cracked as it moved.

"What the hell are you?" he asked.

The thing opened its mouth, and the layer of ice in front of its lips snapped and broke opened as it replied to him in a ghostly whisper. "Freeze…."

"Freeze?" Captain Cold said, not understanding.

"Mr. Freeze," the thing replied. And then it opened its mouth as wide as it could, and exhaled a lung-full of air right into Captain Cold's face. Its very breath was as frigid as a howling winter wind in the artic.

And that was the last thing Captain Cold knew.

**B&B**

"Is he still looking at me?" Barbra Gordon asked.

"Kinda," Alice replied.

"What does that mean?" Barbra said, annoyed.

Alice peeked over Barbra's shoulder. They sat facing each other over a table at the outdoor café section of the local Burger Buds, where they had stopped off for a soda after studying at the library. Halfway through their conversation, Alice told Barbra that Darren Reyes, the new hot-looking boy in school, had sat down at the table directly behind them. And, as if this wasn't enough, Alice told Barbra that Darren hadn't taken his eyes off of Barbra the whole time.

"Sort of," Alice now reported. "He's sort of looking at you."

Barbra frowned. "What the hell are you talking about, Alice?"

"Darren's kinda, sort of looking at you," she replied with a shrug.

"Oh, for…." Barbra muttered, with a shake of her head. She deliberately dropped her napkin so she would have an excuse to glance behind her when she retrieved it. She saw that Darren _was_ staring at her--but not quite.

He actually stared off at something just to Barbra's left, and whatever he saw, it unnerved him badly.

'Something's gotta be pretty weird to creep out the new quarterback of the football team,' Barbra thought, as she glanced over at what had spooked Darren so badly.

Then Barbra let out a gasp when she saw what it was.

A man dressed in a blue parka stumbled over to the outdoor eating area, knocking over a table as he collapsed to the ground. Barbara and Alice got up and went over to him, while still being careful to keep their distance. Barbra saw with shock that the man's entire right arm appeared to be frozen solid.

"Alice, call 911," Barbra said.

"Wha--?" Alice muttered, spellbound at the sight before her.

"Alice, dial 911, now!" Barbra said urgently. "This guy looks like he needs help!"

"Oh, yeah," Alice replied, as she quickly got her cell phone.

As Alice called for help, Barbra noticed that the stricken man was saying something, over and over, under his breath.

"Excuse me, sir?" Barbra warily asked him. "What is it?"

"Never should have come to Gotham City," he muttered. "Never should have come to Gotham City…I-I tried to tell warn them, but no…they wouldn't listen to me. We never should have come to Gotham City…because here, all of the monsters are real…."

**To Be Continued....**


	2. Chapter 2

_My thanks to **D.J. Scales**, **Barbarossa Rotbart**, **piecesofyourheart**, **RebelByrdie** and **FrozenFire676** for their kind words. I'd also like to thank those of you who added this story to your favorites/alerts lists. I really appreciate the support and hope that you all enjoy this story. _

**Batman & Benson 4**

**Chapter Two**

Alfred Pennyworth was the very first to wake up at Wayne Manor, as he always did. He quickly showered and got dressed in his usual well-tailored suit. Then he went down to the Batcave and checked on Master Bruce and Master Dick. They had been back for a few hours now, and were both busy working on the Batmobile's engine--they declined his offer to bring breakfast down to them.

"We'll be up in a minute, Alfred," Master Bruce promised him.

"Very good, Sir," Alfred replied with a nod. He turned around and went back upstairs to the Manor, knowing full well that whenever Master Bruce says he'll be up in a minute, it usually meant he'll be another hour--or more.

'I'll keep something warm for them,' Alfred thought, as he entered the kitchen and started making breakfast. In addition to Miss Rachel and Masters Bruce and Dick, he would also be cooking for Olivia and Alex, who had stayed over last night. While he made breakfast--Alfred usually served various dishes in a buffet style, which better suited a large group of people--he checked on the security system. It informed him that Wayne Manor, and the surrounding two hundred acres, were completely secure.

Since the attack on the estate by Two-Face's thugs--when Miss Rachel had very nearly been abducted, had it not been for the intervention of Masters Bruce and Dick--Alfred had been ever more vigilant about maintaining the security of this most sacred sanctum. The security system had since been upgraded since the attack, and was the very best that money could buy, and then some. Master Bruce made a few improvements of his own, implementing specialized motion and heat detectors that could tell the difference between intruders and the local wildlife, as well as an extensive electronic jamming system.

Alfred turned on the radio and listened to the news, where he heard about the failed jewelry robbery last night by Captain Cold. The announcer reported that the robbery was thwarted by Batman and his mysterious new partner.

'Captain Cold, here in Gotham City?' Alfred thought with frown. 'One would think these super villain chaps stuck to their own hometowns. But then…super villains were not known for following codes of behavior.'

Alfred paused in setting out the toast when he listened to the further news of how the police had found Captain Cold afterwards. There was speculation that there had been some sort of accident with the good Captain's cold gun, because both he and his men were found all iced over. Several of them were on the verge of death, yet they had been found in time and were recuperating in the hospital.

Commissioner Gordon had been asked in what sounded like an ambush interview on the street if he knew whether or not Batman was responsible for the condition of Captain Cold and his men. But Gordon had no comment; instead he said the investigation was ongoing.

The thought of Masters Bruce and Dick leaving someone on the verge of death did not sound like them at all--they operated according to a strict code of non-killing. Alfred would have to bring this subject up with Master Bruce later.

Miss Rachel padded into the kitchen. She was usually the first of Alfred's charges to wake up, and he marveled at how chipper she always appeared. She wore a robe over her pajamas, and stood on tiptoe to give him a peck on the cheek. "Morning, Alfred."

"Good morning, Miss Rachel. Sleep well?"

"Yes, considering I was alone…again. Did Bruce and Dick come back, yet?"

"They're working in the Batcave. Master Bruce said they would be up in a minute."

Rachel nodded, with a half-smile on her face. "And how long ago was this?"

Alfred, who was also smiling, checked the time. "About a half an hour, now."

"Boys and their toys…." Rachel muttered, as she got herself a cup of coffee, which Alfred had brewed.

Olivia and Alex then appeared in the kitchen. Like Rachel, Olivia and Alex were barefoot, and Alex also wore a robe--but the resemblance in the dress of the trio of women ended there. Olivia wore jeans with a t-shirt, which--with her fashionably short hair--gave her a casual tomboy look that Alfred thought suited Olivia very well.

"Good morning, ladies," Alfred said to them. "Sleep well?"

"No," Olivia said flatly. She gestured at Alex. "Thanks to her snoring."

"I told you, I do not snore," Alex primly told her, as she poured herself and Olivia a glass of orange juice.

"Oh, really?" Olivia asked, as she accepted a glass of juice from Alex. "Then what was that chainsaw-like sound I was listening to all night, sweetie?"

"I was…groaning," Alex said, her eyes wide behind her glasses.

"Groaning?" Olivia repeated, as she shared a look of disbelief with Rachel.

"Yeah…groaning," Alex insisted. Then she shot Alfred a look and muttered, "They're not buying it, are they?"

"No, but I believe you, Alex," he said.

"Oh, well, that's all that matters, then," Alex said cheerily, as she took a sip of her orange juice.

Rachel looked up and asked, "Alfred, can we have breakfast out on the patio this morning?"

The way she asked that question was almost child-like, which gave Alfred fond memories of the overly polite little girl who used to play with a young Master Bruce many years ago.

"Why yes, Miss Rachel," he said lightly, "you've been a good girl today, so you may go eat outside. Don't feed your toast to the ducks in the pond."

Olivia and Alex burst into laugher while a red-faced Rachel just smiled as she gave him a bashful look. "What I _meant_ to say was: is it warm enough for us to go outside and eat?"

"Yes, it is, Miss Rachel, " Alfred replied seriously. "It's presently a balmy 72 degrees outside right now."

"Thank God for Indian Summer," Olivia said, munching on a piece of toast.

"Could you at least wait until we're outside?" Alex, annoyed, asked her.

"Sorry," Olivia mumbled through a mouthful.

Alfred set the table on the patio outside, and despite his arguments that he didn't need any help, Rachel, Alex and Olivia still aided him. He didn't really mind; the pleasure of their company was so great, and it was a rare moment that all of them were together like this, that he cherished it.

'Thank God for Sundays,' Alfred thought happily.

The three women were gleefully ensconced at the table, eating breakfast and chatting--until Master Dick strode out, pointed at Olivia, and said, "You're in big trouble."

Olivia stared back at him, wide-eyed. "Why? What did I do?"

"It's not what you did," Dick said, as he sat down across from her and helped himself to some scrambled eggs. "It's about what's going to happen to you. Bruce is looking for you, Liv. And he's got that mad scientist look in his eye again."

Both Rachel and Alex shared a mock-frightened expression with each other.

"Uh-oh," Alex muttered.

"Looks like Bruce invented another gadget that he wants to try out on you," Rachel said, giggling.

"No," Olivia said, as she firmly shook her head. "Not this time."

"Aw, c'mon, Liv, it shouldn't be too lethal," Alex said jokingly.

"The last time I helped him, I wound up getting wrapped up like a mummy!" Olivia cried. "Alfred, you were there! Remember? Did that look like fun to you?"

"Actually, I recall that you did look very adorable, Olivia," he said, smiling.

"Adorable, huh?!" Olivia shot back. "My arms were pinned to my sides! You think _that's_ adorable?"

"You pulled it off quite well," Alfred replied.

"Oh, I wish I could have seen that!" Alex said, laughing.

"Why's it always me?" Olivia asked. "Why am I always Bruce's favorite guinea pig?"

"You can ask him that question right now," Dick said, as he pointed. "Here he comes."

Alfred and the others all turned to see Master Bruce ascending the stone steps of the patio. It appeared he entered the area through the wooded pathway that was off to their left. "Hey Liv," he called. "You busy?"

"YES!" Olivia cried. "Leave me alone!"

He looked taken aback. "What's with you this morning, sis? Didn't get much sleep last night?"

"Well, now that you mention it," Olivia began, as she gestured at Alex.

"Don't start with that again," Alex warned, waving her finger. "Besides, don't change the subject. We all want to see Bruce use you as a guinea pig."

"Guinea pig?" Bruce asked with a frown.

"Dick warned us in advance that you were looking for Olivia to conduct one of your experiments on," Rachel told him.

Bruce shot an annoyed look at Dick. "I never said any such thing!"

"Well, you _were_ working on something pretty intensely at the worktable when I left you," Dick said with a shrug. "When I asked what it was, you said it was for Olivia."

"Oh, it's not what you think, Liv," Bruce said, as he took her hand. "Now, c'mon."

"Wait, wait, wait," Olivia replied, shaking her head. "I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me what it is you want me to do."

Bruce just grinned at her. "But that would spoil the surprise."

"Oh, this ought to be good," Rachel said, as she got up from the table.

"Yeah," Alex added, as she did the same. "Can we watch?"

"Sure," Bruce said. He pointed at a clear grassy meadow just before the woods. "We'll be right over there. You can watch from the steps. C'mon Liv."

She anxiously tried to pull away from him, but his grip was too strong. "Um, Bruce, wait…I don't have any shoes on."

Alex let out an exasperated sigh. "Liv, stop stalling and just go with him!"

"Bruce, does this have to be done now?" Rachel asked. "We _are_ in the middle of breakfast."

"I've already got something set up," he told her. "It won't take a minute, guys. I promise. You'll be all back eating again in no time."

"Will I be with them?" Olivia asked with dread, as she was led away from the table. "Or should I just be saying goodbye to everybody right now?"

"Don't worry, Liv," Rachel assured her. "We're all coming with you this time. And, if anything goes wrong, we'll--"

"--laugh like crazy," Dick cut in, with a big grin.

"I'll remember you said that," Olivia said with mock anger, as she continued to be helplessly pulled along by Bruce. "You little punk…."

Alfred descended with the group to the bottom of the stone steps, and he cherished the laughter that followed Olivia's comment. He found it rather ironic that, when Master Bruce first began this dark quest for justice, Alfred fretted that he would never have any semblance of a normal life. And yet now, despite all the odds, Alfred was extremely pleased to see Master Bruce was now surrounded by a loving group of people whom he could call family.

**B&B**

'Oh Christ,' Olivia nervously thought, as she stepped out onto the grass with Bruce. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Alex and the others remained well behind them on the stone steps.

'Probably so they can avoid any flying shrapnel,' she thought dismally.

"This is good right here," Bruce said, as he stopped several feet away from the steps and let go of her hand. "You ready?"

Olivia took a deep breath. "You know, Bruce, I really love the fact that you've informally adopted me as your sister. I'm honored. I really mean that. I also feel as close to you as if you're my brother. But you should know that, by the time they're grown up, brothers are usually finished with torturing their sisters."

"But we didn't know each other as kids, Liv," Bruce said, deadpan. "So I have a lot to make up for, now."

"Oh, for Christ's sake," Olivia muttered. "All right, let's just get this over with! Blow me up, tie me up, whatever…do your worst."

Bruce then placed something in her hand. "Put it on, Liv."

Olivia saw that it was a very slender and elegant looking watch. After she put it on her wrist, she glanced warily at him. "What now?"

"Hold it up to your face."

"It's not gonna explode, is it?"

For the first time, Bruce appeared irritated. "Olivia…."

With a groan, Olivia dutifully held the watch up to her face.

"Now say, 'come here,'" Bruce told her.

"Come here?" Olivia asked, puzzled. "What the hell are you--?"

She was startled when the foliage just beyond them was violently swept aside as the Tumbler came roaring right towards her. Olivia instinctively took several steps back, but Bruce reached out and grabbed her arm.

The Tumbler came to a halt barely a few feet away from Olivia, where it sat rumbling like an obeidiant dog--albeit a large, heavily armored, rocket-powered dog.

Olivia stared at the Tumbler in shock for a moment, until something occurred to her. "I just called this here, didn't I?"

Bruce nodded, grinning. "The Tumbler and the Batmobile are now auto-slaved to your voice. From now on, by using that watch, you can call either one of them to you--should you ever be in an emergency."

"Oh my God," Alex said with a gasp from behind them. "That is so cool!"

Olivia stared at Bruce with a mixture of awe and pure love. "But this was something that only you and Dick could do, Bruce. Why include me? I'm not a superhero."

"I don't consider myself one, either," Bruce replied. "But, like me, you try to do what you can to help people, Liv. When Rachel and I were abducted by Two-Face, it was you and Dick who came to our rescue. You helped to save us, sis, and while you may not wear a costume, I think you're still in the same league as me. This is just my way of thanking you."

"Oh, jeez, Bruce," Olivia murmured, deeply touched. "I don't know what to say--except thank you."

"Just in case you ever need it, you've now got some extra back up," he said, as they hugged tightly. "You feel like driving this buggy back to the garage?"

"Sure!" She glanced back at the gang and said, "We'll see you guys later."

Olivia climbed inside the Tumbler's cockpit and took the controls. She had previously driven this beast on several occasions--most notably when she and Dick launched their rescue of Bruce and Rachel from Two-Face's grasp.

As she drove the Tumbler back to the Batcave--via a secret route hidden under a densely packed grove of trees--Olivia wondered how Harvey Dent was finding his new digs at Arkham Asylum. Thanks to his terror spree, which left many people dead, the former district attorney had been recently committed to the infamous sanatorium for the criminally insane.

As she pulled into the Batcave and parked the Tumbler on the rotating circular pad, something occurred to Olivia. "Hey, you said both vehicles are auto-slaved to my voice. If I say 'come here' into the watch, will both the Batmobile and the Tumbler come?"

"The auto-slave program only works on one vehicle at a time," Bruce explained. "And the vehicle has to be within a particular radius of your voice. You can't call it from the Batcave if you're in Gotham City--that would be too far."

She nodded. "Got it. But what if I call--say, the Tumbler--while you're still using it?"

Bruce smiled. "Assuming you're within range of the Tumbler, it will then go to you, and I'll be without wheels. I'd add the Batwing, as well, but…."

"I'm not a pilot," Olivia said. As they got out of the Tumbler, Olivia was staggered at the gift that he'd just bestowed on her. 'It's more than just a gift,' she thought. 'It's a major responsibility.'

"I won't use this unless I absolutely have to," she promised him.

"That's why I gave it to you to use," he told her, as they ascended the steps to the main platform of the Batcave. "In a dire emergency situation, that should be a big help to you. Not that I'm expecting anything dire to happen anytime soon, Liv, but--"

"You never know," she said with a nod. "Thanks again, Bruce."

When they arrived at the Batcomputer, they found Alfred, who held two covered plates on a tray in his hands. "Have you heard of the new development with Captain Cold, sir?"

"We ran into him last night," Bruce said. "We stopped him, but he and some of his men got away."

"Captain Cold is now in custody, sir. He and his gang were found on the verge of death in an abandoned building."

"What?!" Bruce asked, looking shocked.

Olivia glanced at him. "I take it that wasn't your doing?"

"No. Like I said, he got away from us with most of his gang," Bruce answered, as he sat down at the Batcomputer.

"I figured you'd wish to check up on the situation, sir, so I brought down your breakfest," Alfred said, placing the covered plate by Bruce's side. "As I did for you, Liv."

When Olivia removed the cover on the plate, she was surprised to see--instead of the half-eaten breakfast she had left behind--that Alfred had completely replenished her meal. "Oh, thanks, Alfred!"

"Enjoy, Liv," Alfred said, as he turned to leave. "And please see to it that Master Bruce actually eats something."

Olivia laughed. "Will do, Alfred."

Yet when she turned her attention to Bruce, Olivia became caught up in the news events that were on display on the view screens. They told of Captain Cold being found on the street in the Southside district, half dead, with his entire body covered in ice. His men were found in a nearby abandoned building--all similarly encased in ice. The reports stated that, had they not been found in time, Cold and his men would have died. There was rampant speculation that Batman was the one who had "iced" Captain Cold. Another theory was offered that stated Cold and his men had suffered their injuries thanks to a malfunction in the Captain's cold guns.

"What do you think happened?" Olivia asked.

"No idea," Bruce replied, as he frowned at the screens.

"Well, if nothing else, if it _was_ a malfunction of his cold guns, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, right?"

"Yeah." Bruce looked uneasy. "Or…."

"Or…what?"

"Or Captain Cold ran into somebody who was even tougher than he was," Bruce said. "And that somebody is still walking the streets of Gotham City right now."

Olivia let out a sigh as she felt her stomach shrink into a tight little knot of dread. "You really know how to spoil a girl's appetite, Bruce."

**B&B**

'It's always something,' Commisioner James Gordon wearily thought, as he strode into the hospital ward. When he first heard that they had captured Captain Cold and his gang, Gordon was elated. But then he discovered that his daughter Barbra was involved at the scene of the discovery of the first half-frozen man. And then they found Cold and his crew, all looking like human popsicles.

After taking his daughter home, Gordon worked the scene with Bullock and Montoya. The interior of the abandoned building looked like a scene right out of the Antarctic, and Gordon had initially assumed it was an accidental explosion of Cold's guns--until he saw that the weapons of Captain Cold, aka Leonard Snart, were intact and fully loaded.

Then the rumors began flying that Batman had caught up with Cold and dealt him and his crew a fatal blow. But Gordon didn't believe this for a second--despite the fact that the CSU found a Batdart on Cold, which matched a wound on one of his hands. Gordon knew that Batman had tangled with Cold earlier, foiling a multi-million dollar jewelry robbery, and that was probably where Cold got hit with the Batdart. But to freeze Cold and his men, and then to just leave them to die--Gordon knew that wasn't the Dark Knight's style. He was hard on criminals, especially if they fought back, but Batman was no killer.

Since Snart and his men were all unconscious, and would remain that way for some time, Gordon had driven Barbra home, and then caught a few hours sleep. Before he left the house this morning, Barbra had raced out of her bedroom and intercepted him.

"I was just listening to the radio, and they were saying that Batman nearly killed Captain Cold and his men!" she urgently said. "You _know_ Batman would never do anything like that, Daddy!"

He had affectionately rubbed the side of her face. "Yes, darling, I know," he patiently told her. "Now go back to sleep. Let me handle this investigation."

Gordon was amazed at how much of a personal stake Barbra had in the Dark Knight. It was ironic, because, just a few years ago, she hated the guy. Now she worshipped him. Still, he supposed it was better that she idolized Batman, instead of one of these air-headed boy bands. Gordon smiled at a phrase that his wife once used to derisively describe such celebrities: young male bimbos. YMB.

When he saw Bullock and Montoya seated in the ICU waiting room, he walked over to them. "They wake up, yet?"

"Nah, the sleeping beauties are still dreaming away," Bullock said, as he got to his feet. Bullock was a big bear of a man, with a sizable stomach to match, and Gordon often wondered how he was able to move around as well as he did. "Doc says they might be out all day."

"The press is already here," Montoya said.

"Yeah, I saw them in the lobby," Gordon said. "Managed to give them the slip before they saw me. Any other news from the crime scene?"

"Nada," Montoya replied. "Except that the ice left at the scene has melted."

"I take it CSU collected samples of the ice?" Gordon asked.

Bullock nodded. "Just as you told them. We still haven't heard back from them yet about the testing." Then Bullock's eyes grew wide as he stared at something just over Gordon's shoulder. "Whoa, super freak sighting right behind you, Commish…."

As he turned, Gordon's first thought was, 'What's Batman doing out in the daytime?'

Then he was startled at who it was; the red outfit, trimmed with gold, with the lighting bolt emblem on his chest--it was The Flash who strode up to them.

The scarlet speedster paused to glare at the unconscious men in the ICU through the glass partition. Then he continued to walk over to Gordon, Bullock and Montoya. "Are you guys in charge of the Captain Cold investigation?"

"I'm in charge of the entire police department," Gordon told him. "James Gordon, police Commisioner. Detectives Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya, the primary investigators on the case."

"How do you do," the Flash said. "I'm The Flash."

"Uh, yeah…we kinda got that from the outfit," Bullock muttered. "Gotham City's a little out of your way, ain't it?"

"I came as soon as I heard about what Batman did to Captain Cold," the Flash said. "Is it true? Did he actually freeze Cold and his men and then leave them for dead?"

"Cold and his men were found that way," Gordon told him. "But I don't think that Batman was the one who did this."

"You sure?" the Flash asked suspiciously. "They fought earlier, and there was the Batdart injury to Cold's hand."

Now it was Gordon's turn to stare at the Flash with suspicion. The discovery of the Batdart on Captain Cold had deliberately been kept out of the news. Gordon decided to bluff him. "What Batdart?"

The Flash just smiled at him. "Trust me, Comissioner, I _know_ Batman used a Batdart against Captain Cold."

"Really?" Gordon shot back. "And I'd be interested in knowing _how_ you now that."

"Look," the Flash said. "I realize you people all worship the Batman here in Gotham City, but--"

"Just as the people in Central City must appreciate _your_ efforts, I'm sure," Gordon cut in. "What exactly are you getting at, here?"

"I'm trying ascertain whether or not Batman used excessive force on Captain Cold and his men," the Flash said. "Because, if he did, then Batman has seriously crossed the line, here."

"Excuse me," Montoya spoke up. "But I was under the impression that Captain Cold was the worst of your enemies. If that's the case, why are you here sticking up for him?"

"I don't condone anything that Captain Cold has done," the Flash told them. "He's a dangerous criminal who should be brought to justice--but not left for dead on the streets of Gotham City. That sort of thing may be acceptable here, but Batman's also a member of the Justice League--and as such, he has a standard of behavior to uphold, just like the rest of us."

"I just told you that we don't think Batman was the one who left Captain Cold and his men for dead," Gordon said, trying to keep the edge out of his voice. "Now, neither Cold, nor his men, have woken up yet. But when they do--"

"You mean _if _they do," the Flash angrily muttered. "I understand that you're able to contact Batman, Commisioner Gordon. I'd like for you to call him for me, right now! Let's hear what Batman has to say about this himself."

That was when Gordon just about had enough of this insufferable twit. The Flash may be a well-respected superhero and a member of the Justice League, but that didn't give him the right to come in here and boss them around. "Sorry," Gordon said, with just the hint of a smile, "but Batman's unavailable right now--to you, or anybody."

"Yeah," Montoya added. "He only hunts at night. And I'd hate to be the one to disturb his sleep."

"He really is a damned vampire!" the Flash said with disgust, as he shook his head at them. Before he turned to leave, he added, "That masked maniac brutalizes anybody he wants in this town, and you support him. Fine. If he won't speak to me, then he'll just have to make his case before the Justice League."

"Hey, if Captain Cold couldn't stand the heat, then he shoulda stayed out of Gotham City!" Bullock yelled after the Flash. Then he frowned at Montoya and said, "Did that make any sense?"

"You believe that guy!" Montoya said angrily. "You'd think that moron would be happy that Captain Cold was taken down. But instead, he's whining about Batman being too harsh?!"

"I want somebody here on watch at all times," Gordon said grimly. "As soon as Cold and his men are awake, I want them carefully questioned as to what actually happened to them. I know Batman had nothing to do with this, but I want that knowledge to be official and then made public. Got it?"

"You got it, Commish, " Bullock replied. He chuckled in the direction where the Flash had stormed off. "Bats is in trouble with the league of super freaks? Imagine that! Simply unreal, huh?"

Gordon just let out a weary sigh. "It's always something…."

**B&B**

After walking all night, he had finally arrived at the home of his first victim, Walter Larson. Larson lived on the outskirts of Gotham City, in an affluent suburb known as Willow Hills. A walk like this, of several miles, would have normally left him winded--but now it was nothing. His strenght and endurablity were fifty times what they were before. He had some time to think as he walked--always taking the back roads and alleyways, and staying in the shadows to avoid being seen--and he couldn't begin to explain how the accident could have done this to him. Instead of killing him outright, as was no doubt the intent of Larson, Greene and Watts, it endowed him with powers the likes of which he'd never heard of before.

The criminal whom he'd encountered, Captain Cold, had to resort to technology to manipulate cold just as he did naturally with his own body--and the good Captain still didn't have half of the powers that he had now.

'Perhaps it was a gift?' he wondered.

Whatever it was, he now possessed it, and he wasn't about to waste it.

He arrived at Larson's home. It was a large, modern looking mansion of glass and steel that was set behind a pirvacy gate. As he stood and peered through the metal entrance gate, he recalled the smug insistence Larson had about how there was nothing they could do to save her…to save Nora.

"It is in God's hands now," Larson had told him in that overly pious manner of his. "And if God calls your wife to heaven, then who are we to deny His divine will?"

'Divine will,' he thought, as the rage seethed within him. 'Let me show you something about divine will, Walter….'

He climbed the stone wall the same way that he scaled the walls of the hospital. Ice stuck to just about anything, and he realized that if he simply willed it, the ice on his hands and feet would melt just enough to get a grip on the wall, and then release it when he wanted it to.

Once he was over the wall and on the property, he ran towards the house. There was a glass wall that separated him from a massive living room. He could easily shatter the wall of glass, but that would alert Larson. So he stepped back, and opened his mouth--ice fell away from his face as he did this. He exhaled, and his icy breath created a doorway-sized sheet of ice over the glass.

He went up to the doorway-shaped ice that he created and dug his fingers into it until he had a good grip, then he pulled with all of his might. He lifted the solid block of ice away, and the glass it was stuck to came with it. He placed the massive load off to the side and casually entered the house.

There didn't appear to be anyone home, today. But that was all right; he could wait, if he really had--

A sound from down the hallway caught his attention, and he followed it to a master bedroom, where he found a girl singing softly to herself. She was a fit and lean young woman in her early twenties who was clad only in a one-piece gymnast outfit. She stared intently at herself in the mirror while she primped her strawberry hair.

"Walt, honey," she said, while still gazing at herself in the mirror, "could you go a little easy on me this time? I'm still a little sore from when you--"

Her eyes grew wide with fear when she caught sight of him in the mirror. She then turned, dropping the mirror, and screamed in horror once she stared right at him.

He could not believe this. Walter Larson, the pious; the virtuous; the devout man of God, sharing his bedroom with a young woman who was half his age and clad in a fantasy costume to boot. Larson's self righteousness was bad enough, but he now he was revealed to be nothing more than a full-blown hypocrite!

He raised his head back and barked out laughter, all while the young woman continued to scream her head off at him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, HERE?!" a man shouted.

He turned to see Walter Larson standing in the doorway, clad in a robe and holding a gun up at him. "What the hell are you?!"

He blew out ice from his mouth and said, "I'm your shepherd…to the kingdom of heaven."

Larson fired at him, but the bullets had no effect as he grabbed the man by the neck and hauled him up against the wall. He squeezed Larson's throat until he dropped the gun. Then he raised his free hand and willed the ice to grow from the tips of his fingers; they grew out into long, razor-sharp shards that looked like icy talons.

Larson watched this with wide, fearful eyes. "W-What the hell do you want?"

"For you to die before Nora," he gently replied.

Then he smashed the icy talons right into Larson's forehead.

**B&B**

Dick had to study for an exam the following day, so when the Batsignal lit up the night sky, Batman went alone. When the Dark Knight arrived on the roof of police headquarters, he found Gordon there, standing beside the Batsignal. He had something tucked under his arm. As Batman approached, he saw that Gordon held what looked like a manila folder.

"You called, Jim?"

Gordon was momentarily startled, but he quickly caught himself and presented the folder to Batman. "See what you make of this."

Batman opened the folder and saw that it contained police crime scene photos. They were all of a middle-aged man who was hung in a crucified manner against a wall. It was a ghastly sight, with the half-naked man's hands and feet impaled with what looked like icicles. A close up shot of the dead man's head revealed a row of icicles that stuck out of his forehead like a perverted recreation of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when he was crucified.

"That's Walter Larson," Gordon said grimly. "He was the chief administrator of the Star Labs here in Gotham City, before he retired. That's how we found him earlier tonight at his home in the Willow Hills section."

"Was Larson a religious man?"

"Very much so--well, at least on the surface," Gordon replied. "We found a young woman with him, old enough to be his daughter."

"A hooker?"

"That's what we assume, but she's in a state of shock, and not saying much. She was wearing a gymnast outfit--one of those one-piece, bathing suit type get ups with the long sleeves." Gordon shook his head in despair. "The same type my Barbra wears for practice."

The woman was left alive, and Larson was not just killed, but brutally so, with his body arranged in a manner that mocked his religious faith. "This was a vendetta killing," Batman said. "Larson was the target of somebody who hated him with an extreme rage."

"Somebody who also uses ice as a weapon," Gordon added.

"So I've noticed, Jim. I assume Captain Cold is still accounted for?"

"Still at the hospital with his boys--and they're all still unconscious. Could this be somebody within Cold's gang? Somebody who got tired of taking orders from Cold, and so he staged a coup?"

"Or it might be somebody new," Batman said, as he handed back the photos. "There was an intruder at one of the local hospitals. Witnesses claimed it was some sort of an ice man who hung off the side of the building."

"Yeah, Harvey and Renee got that call. They didn't take it too seriously at the time," Gordon said with a sigh. "But I guess we'll be taking it seriously now. Oh, one more thing, Batman. While we're on the subject of Captain Cold. We got a visit from the Flash today, and he--"

Gordon stopped speaking and stared wide-eyed up in the sky. Batman glanced back behind him with his reflexes at the ready for whatever threat had suddenly appeared there.

But he saw that it was Superman.

He hovered over the rooftop and glared down at Batman with distain. "We need to talk, Batman," he said firmly. "Right now."

"Well, since you've asked so nicely," Batman muttered.

He got back in the Batwing and they flew out to a wooded area just on the outskirts of Gotham City. Batman landed the Batwing, got out and met Superman in a clearing.

"I want to know what happened with Captain Cold," Superman said. "Tell me your side of it."

"I wasn't under the impression that I answered to you," Batman shot back.

"You're a member of the Justice League--and as such, you're still answerable to the law," Superman said.

"I never held myself above the law even _before_ I joined your little gang," Batman told him. He really didn't like the Man of Steel's tone. "And--just so we can be clear on this matter--I had nothing to do with putting Cold and his men in the hospital."

"What about this Robin you've got working for you? He didn't do it?"

"If he did, he wouldn't be my partner for much longer. What the hell is this about, anyway? Gordon just told me that the Flash paid Gotham City a visit."

"The Flash has some concerns about the way Captain Cold and his men were treated. They were frozen and left for dead, Batman, and it looks as if you did it."

"I just told you that I didn't," Batman growled. "It now appears Captain Cold ran into somebody else who freezed-dried him and his crew. Somebody whom I should be hunting down right now, instead of wasting time standing here, talking to you!"

"I believe you didn't do anything to Cold and his men. But you're still required to appear before the League in a special hearing--"

"I'm required to tell you to shove it," Batman said, cutting him off.

"Batman, the Flash called for this meeting, and he is entitled to do so. As a member of the League, you are required to attend this meeting, which will be two days from now," Superman warned him. "So please don't make me come after you."

"I'll make it very easy for you," Batman said, as he climbed into the cockpit of the Batwing. "As of right now, I quit the Justice League."

Superman looked startled. "Ok, wait…don't do anything harsh, now…."

"And if any of you still want to come after me, I'll show you the true meaning of the word harsh," Batman said coldly. "You go back up to the Justice League satellite and hold the Flash's hand. I've got a new threat on the streets of Gotham City to hunt down."

Batman took off in the Batwing and headed back towards the city. He carefully monitored the Batwing's radar, but Superman never followed him.

**B&B**

A bored Rachel was flipping through the TV channels--all 500 of them--until she stopped on a scene of a bikini-clad woman, who was seated on a tropical island, complaining bitterly to the camera about how her fellow Survivors weren't giving her the respect that she felt she deserved.

"It's so hard just trying to survive on this island," the Survivor whined, "without having the proper respect that I deserve!"

'You little crybaby,' Rachel thought derisively, as she changed the channel. 'You really want to try roughing it, honey, then try living in Gotham City for a while.'

Rachel tossed the remote on the sofa cushion next to her and wearily stretched out her arms and legs. Earlier today she had exchanged her pajamas and robe for the sweat pants and tank top that she presently wore--but now Rachel thought seriously about putting her pajamas back on and going to bed. God knew there certainly was nothing on television.

"Are you feeling all right, Miss Rachel?"

Rachel was startled by Alfred's question. The elderly man appeared to have materialized next to her out of thin air. "Yes, I'm fine, Alfred. Thanks. I'm thinking of turning in early tonight."

"You might be interested to know that Master Bruce has returned from patrol and is in the Batcave," he told her.

"Really?" Rachel said, as she got up from the sofa. That little bit of news had perked her up. "He's early."

"He said there was something that he needed to attend to before resuming his patrol tonight."

'In other words, if I want to see him before tomorrow, I'd better hustle,' Rachel thought. "Thanks, Alfred."

She rushed towards the secret Batcave entrance and emerged on the natural balcony that overlooked Batman's sanctuary. Standing at the railing, she saw Bruce, sans his cowl and cape, but still clad in the Batsuit, bent over at one of the workstations, busy grinding away at something.

Rachel walked towards the elevator, the cavern floor feeling chilly beneath her bare feet, and mused about the idea of keeping a pair of slippers handy somewhere down here. But when the mental image of a pair of fluffy bunny slippers tucked away in the Batcave made her smile broadly, Rachel nixed the idea together.

'This place is Batman's realm,' Rachel thought, as she emerged from the elevator. Although Bruce always made her feel very comfortable whenever she visited the Batcave, the last thing Rachel wanted to do was intrude by keeping her stuff down here. 'Besides, I've got more than enough room up in Wayne Manor, anyway.'

She went up to Bruce and tightly hugged him from behind. He ceased polishing something at the grinder.

"Hey you," he said with a smile. "What was that for?"

"For what you did for Olivia today," Rachel replied, as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "She was really touched by that, Bruce, as was I."

"Liv more than deserved the gesture," he told her. He held up what appeared to be a piece of jade in his hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "Working on a case?"

"Just creating a little insurance policy for myself," he answered. "Batman is no longer a member of the Justice League."

When Rachel gave him a shocked look, Bruce quickly explained the situation to her. After listening to the whole story, Rachel's shock turned into outrage. "They're supposed to be the Justice League," she said. "Haven't they heard about the concept of being innocent until proven guilty?"

"They appear to be interested in following the bylaws of the group more than fighting any injustice," Bruce said with disgust. He got up from the workbench with the piece of jade--which caught Rachel's eye when it glowed an unearthly emerald color.

"Wait a minute," Rachel said, her eyes growing wide. "That's not jade, is it?"

"No, it's kryptonite," Bruce replied with a slight smile.

Rachel stared, astounded, as Bruce slipped the splinter of kryptonite into one of the packets on his utility belt. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Like I said, Rachel, it's my insurance policy." He gave her a steady gaze. "Just in case Superman is stupid enough to still come after me--in spite of my quitting the group--I want to be ready for him."

**To Be Continued....**


	3. Chapter 3

_I'd like to thank Barbarossa Rotbart, FrozenFire676, RebelByrdie and D.J. Scales for writing their reviews. Thanks very much. I wasn't planning on adding this chapter so soon, but we got buried under snow here--which seems fitting, because after shoveling out my driveway in the driving cold, I now have a pretty good idea of what it's like to meet Mr. Freeze! :-D_

**Batman & Benson 4**

**Chapter Three**

Olivia was on her way home from Wayne Manor with Alex when she received the emergency call from Gordon. He said that there was a special meeting at his office tonight. Alex dropped her off at police headquarters with a kiss. Olivia felt guilty over the fact that Alex had never been invited to these special meetings--but Alex had told Olivia that she understood the need to keep the membership to a minimum. Besides, between having Olivia--her lover--and Rachel--her friend and boss--in attendance at these meetings, Alex always got filled in on what was said later, anyway.

Olivia went up to Commissioner Gordon's office, where she found her boss chatting with Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya and Rachel.

"Hey, Benson," Bullock said in his usual grumbling tone. "Did ya hear we may have a new super villain on the loose?"

"A new one?" she asked, annoyed. "Like dealing with the Penguin again isn't enough?"

"By the way, Liv, good job on busting his nut last night," Gordon told her.

"Thanks. But I doubt it really meant anything to that little slug," Olivia said, as she wearily took a seat on the sofa. "He just shrugged it off by getting my goat with a snide comment about Alex."

"If nothing else, we're making it hard for the Penguin to make a move," Renee said hopefully.

"There's that, at least," Rachel admitted. "He can't do much, being under a microscope like this."

"We'll keep the pressure on him for now," Gordon said. "But, for the time being, we have a new problem. This mysterious ice man."

"Who knew that Frosty The Snowman would become such a menace?" Renee said with such genuine sadness.

"This have anything to do with that weird call to the hospital you guys were sent to last night?" Olivia asked. "I saw that on the news."

Bullock nodded. "Looks like Frosty's got a mean streak. A guy named Walter Larson, the former head of the Star Labs here in Gotham City, was killed earlier. With icicles."

Olivia's eyes went wide. "Icicles? Like Captain Cold?"

"No, Cold's still out cold," Renee informed her--then she shook her head and muttered, "I can't believe I just said that…."

"It's somebody new, with the same penchant for ice," Gordon told Olivia, as he handed her some grisly crime scene photos of a half naked man who was crucified to a wall. "The thorns in the head were what killed him. M.E. Cavanaugh says he was already dead before he was posed on the wall like that."

"The ice man at the hospital was hanging outside the room of Nora Fries, a woman with a terminal case of McGregor's Syndrome," Renee said. "And a witness who was with Larson told us that when Larson asked what he wanted, the ice man replied, 'For you to die before Nora.'"

"You recall the accident at the local Star Labs last year, Liv?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, all too well," Olivia replied. That was the same night when she had discovered Barbra Gordon's little secret--that she was Batgirl. "Catwoman was also in the building at the time, wasn't she?"

"She tried to save him," Gordon confirmed. "I saw it on the surveillance footage. But there was nothing anybody could do. He was killed instantly."

"Fries wasn't killed, Jim," a voice spoke up from the darkness by the window. "The accident changed him into what he is now."

"And how the hell are you so sure?!" Bullock angrily asked the shadowy figure as it approached them.

"Because I stopped by the hospital on my way here," Batman replied, as he entered the office. "Captain Cold is now awake. And when the detectives asked who assaulted him, I overheard him describe a giant ice man. He said that the ice man called himself Mr. Freeze."

"But I saw that explosion on the surveillance video, Batman," Gordon said, startled. "How the hell could he have survived it?"

"From the reports I've gathered concerning Freeze's appearance, and his newfound powers, to say that he survived the explosion would be stretching it," Batman said. "He's no longer the same man he was--if you could even call what he is now human."

"So I guess this clears you with the Justice League, then?" Rachel asked hopefully. "I mean, this is finally the proof that exonerates you, right?"

"What the Justice League thinks is no longer my concern," Batman replied.

"I take it that talk with Superman earlier didn't go well?" Gordon asked.

"I quit the team," Batman replied curtly.

Olivia was shocked to hear this latest development. As Gordon went to answer his phone, Olivia shot a questioning look at a dismayed Rachel, who only gave her the slightest of nods in acknowledgment.

"Good for you, Bats!" Bullock said, with a broad grin. "That gang of super freaks really wasn't your thing, anyways. Y'know what I'm saying?"

"Good Lord," Gordon said, as he placed the phone against his chest. "Looks like Mr. Freeze has struck again tonight."

"Where?" Batman asked.

"Over on Canfield Drive," Gordon said. "There's a major ruckus involving massive amounts of ice and snow at the home of Peter Greene, in the Canfield West Towers."

"Who's he?" Olivia asked.

"He's the current administrator of Star Labs, who took over from Larson," Gordon replied. He turned to the Dark Knight and added, "Batman, you might want to--"

When he abruptly stopped speaking, Olivia didn't even have to glance in his direction to know that Batman was already gone--no doubt on his way to the scene. She got up from the sofa. "Sir, I realize this isn't technically an SVU case, but if you should need my help--?"

"Glad you asked, Liv," Gordon said gratefully, as he hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket. "I'll meet you over there."

Olivia grabbed her own jacket and was about to leave when she felt a hand gently touch her arm.

It was Rachel. "May I ride with you over there?" she anxiously asked.

"Yes, of course," Olivia told her. "Come on."

"Harvey, move it," Renee said to her partner, who still sat in his chair.

"I dunno why we're all rushing out the door," Bullock complained, as he reluctantly got up. "Bats probably already got him on ice by now, anyways."

"Are you deliberately trying to be annoying?" Renee asked, exasperated, as they all left the office and walked to the elevator. Gordon stood holding the door for them.

"What?" Bullock asked Renee, throwing his arms out. "What'd I say?"

Renee shook her head as they got aboard the elevator. "That Batman already got him on ice…."

"Oh, like you're no different," he shot back, "youse were saying before that Captain Cold was out cold!"

"That was just an accident," she told him.

"So you're admitting that you _do_ make mistakes, huh?"

"What?! Harvey, I've never--!"

"Children, children," Gordon cut in. "Please, save it for the playground."

Harvey and Renee quieted down until they reached the police garage, where everyone scattered to their respective cars. Gordon's driver was waiting for him in his limo, while Harvey and Renee ran over to their squad car--and as they did, Olivia smiled when she saw they had resumed their argument.

'Did Elliot and I ever squabble like that?' she wondered. 'Yeah, come to think of it; we probably did….'

She opened the passenger door of her squad car for Rachel, and once they got in, Olivia started up the car and asked, "So, what's this crap with the Justice League?"

Rachel explained the situation as Olivia drove over to the scene with the other police cars. "I was hoping that this recent development, with Captain Cold waking up and saying it was Mr. Freeze who attacked him, would be just what was needed for Bruce to mend the fence with the League."

But Olivia shook her head. "Bruce still won't go back, Rachel. You know that as well as I do."

Rachel nodded somberly. "I guess you're right there, Liv."

"And, I can't say that I blame him for feeling that way," Olivia added. "I mean, the Justice League has treated him like nothing more than a common criminal, here."

"Yes, they did," Rachel said in agreement. "You know, when the League was first formed, I remember feeling exhilarated. I mean, imagine it: the world's greatest superheroes, all in one group? I felt so safe and secure just thinking about it. But now…."

Rachel couldn't finish her dark thought, so Olivia said it for her: "What if these superheroes turn out to be a super army who march right over our rights and liberties?"

Rachel gave her a worried glance. "Do you really think it could ever come to that?"

"I hope to hell it doesn't." She pulled up and parked her car along with the other police vehicles on Canfield Drive. "We're here."

Before Olivia could get out, Rachel grabbed her arm. "Bruce has a shard of kryptonite, Liv," she said. "He now keeps it on his utility belt, just in case Superman decides to still come for him."

Olivia smiled at her. "Good for Bruce."

"You don't think this is wrong?" Rachel asked plaintively.

"This whole situation is screwed up," Olivia gently told her. "But Bruce wasn't the one who caused it, Rachel. And, as always, he's taking protective measures, just in case. What, you'd rather Superman come down and abduct Bruce right out of the blue?"

"No, of course not," Rachel said, as they both got out of the car. As she walked in step alongside Olivia, she whispered, "We'll talk about this later."

"Um, wait a sec," Olivia said, as she now grabbed Rachel's arm. "Where do you think you're going, Ms. District Attorney?"

Rachel stared at her, puzzled. She gestured at the condominium they stood in front of. "Up there. Why?"

"This is a crime scene with the perp still present, and it's still a very dangerous--"

"But Bruce is up there," Rachel said in a pained whisper. "Olivia, please…."

Olivia's professional reserve had melted just then. But before she could say another word, she heard a loud crashing sound that reverberated off the walls of the canyon of buildings around them. Olivia glanced up and saw what looked like giant snowballs that fell to the ground. As they came closer, Olivia realized they were actually massive chunks of ice--

--and they were all headed straight down at them.

"GET BACK IN THE CAR!" Olivia screamed, as she opened her car door and shoved Rachel inside. "DOWN ON THE FLOOR, NOW!"

She didn't even have time to close the door before the roof of her car was crushed in by the first falling chunk of ice.

**B&B**

_Five minutes earlier_

Thanks to the Batwing, Batman had arrived at the Canfield West Towers in thirty seconds. It wasn't hard to find Peter Greene's condo; it was the only one of the two penthouses atop the towers that was covered in a blizzard.

Batman ordered the Batwing to hover just on the edge of the penthouse, and then he got out and dove into the maelstrom of wind and snow.

It was hard to believe that this was created by a single man; not even Captain Cold could accomplish something like this. Yet the flurry of snow and ice quickly dissipated as Batman made his way into the penthouse from the terrace.

He saw an object on the table in the living room--where every surface was covered in the stark whiteness of snow and ice. The object he saw appeared to be a life-sized sculpture of a man writhing in agony; but Batman knew what it really was before he even got a closer look at it.

It was the late Peter Greene. The man was buried under a sheet of ice more than an inch thick. His face was literally frozen in a horrified expression.

When he heard what sounded like ice cracking and breaking, Batman glanced over and saw Greene's killer, who looked like walking death itself.

Victor Fries was nothing more than a corpse encased within a thin layer of ice. His whole body was bluish-white, and his eyes were dead gray balls which stared at Batman curiously.

A large chunk of ice popped away from his mouth as Fries pointed at the dead man and said, "This seems to be a fitting end, does it not? He _was_ a major hockey fan. Therefore, he should feel at ease within the ice."

He then turned and walked away, the ice popping and breaking at all of his joints--and then reforming just as quickly. Batman was both stunned and fascinated by the sight of this man. Yet he wasn't so stunned as to let him just walk away.

"Victor Fries," Batman called after him. "Wait."

Fries ceased moving. He stood still for a moment, before turning back to glare at Batman.

"You know who I am," he said. "But you do not know what I've become. Unless you wish to find out the hard way, I'd suggest you let me be, Batman."

"Let me help you," Batman said, and he meant it with all sincerity. He had watched the surveillance footage of this man as he was blasted by chemicals in his laboratory at Star Labs, and this incident, along with his dying wife, made it hard not to feel for Fries, regardless of what he'd just done. "Just come with me, peacefully. I will see that you and your wife get whatever help you need."

Fries blew out another chunk of ice that had covered his mouth. "I seek only vengeance, Batman. It would be best if you just stayed out of my way."

Batman watched, intrigued, as Fries' mouth and nose were once more covered with ice. 'He can't breathe,' Batman realized. 'Or maybe he no longer needs to.'

"I'm already in your way, Fries," Batman replied, as he braced himself for the attack he knew was to come.

Fries blew out another chunk of ice from his mouth--but instead of a verbal reply, his response was to blow a large exhale of icy wind into his hand, which he held up in front of his face.

'Here comes the blizzard,' Batman thought, as he expertly ducked out of the way. The shaft of cold, icy air shot past him and struck a stone statue on the terrace railing. The blast was enough to dislodge the heavy statue, but before it could fall to the ground below, Batman had caught it in a line that he shot from his grapple gun.

The weight of the statue hanging off the side of the building, along with the icy floor beneath his boots, dragged Batman to the very ledge--which he used as a foothold as he swung the heavy statue from side to side along the face of the wall below.

While he did this, Batman could hear Fries coming up from behind him. With all of the ice that popped and cracked as he moved, it was hard not to hear him. Batman kept swinging the statue, trying to make it look more difficult than it actually was. He was building up enough momentum with the statue, so he could gives Fries a little surprise.

When a glance over his shoulder confirmed that Fries was within range, Batman used all of his might to swing the statue back up on the terrace--

--and smashed it right into Fries.

Fries let out a startled grunt as he fell back against the floor, ice shattering from all over his body. For an instant, Batman could see Fries' bare skin over parts of his body, until the ice froze back over it instantly.

'The ice serves as a second skin, as well as a shield,' Batman thought, as he pulled out the flare gun from his utility belt.

But before he could shoot it, Fries raised both hands up and blew out another snowstorm. Batman was startled to see an ice wall form between him and his quarry.

Then he took note of a growing shadow that loomed behind the ice, and quickly realized that Fries was about to break through and attack him.

Batman dived down just as Fries smashed through the ice--and straight over him. Fries had either miscalculated the distance, or he didn't care, but Batman watched as the iceman sailed right over the railing of the terrace and down to the street. He took several large chunks of ice with him.

'Damn it,' Batman thought. He got to his feet, stood on the railing and, with a flick of his wrists, his cape formed into wings as he dove down after Fries.

**B&B**

Olivia glanced around the car interior and saw that the roof was now much closer than it was before. The windshield, as well as the other windows, were all shattered, and the car alarm howled in protest.

In her haste to protect Rachel, Olivia now found herself laying on top of the District Attorney, who lay on the floor just underneath the dashboard. Rachel stared up at Olivia with wide eyes. "You ok, Liv?"

Olivia smiled down at her. "I was just about to ask you the same thing. Yeah, I'm good. How are you?"

"Fine, thanks to you." Rachel primly reached up and brushed off the shoulder of Olivia's jacket. "You've got some glass, here…."

"Just another night in Gotham City," Olivia muttered, as she got up and started to crawl back out through the driver's side door.

Harvey Bullock poked his head into the car just then, and when he saw Olivia laying on top of Rachel, he smirked and said, "Hey, give it up, Benson, the District Attorney's already spoken for!"

"Oh, man--as tactful as ever, ain't he?" Olivia moaned, as she shared an annoyed look with Rachel. Then she glanced over her shoulder and said, "Yeah, Harvey--we're both fine. Thanks for asking!"

That was when both she and Rachel froze in fear as they heard another tremendous crashing sound, which actually vibrated through the car and their bodies.

"Sweet Hay-zoos," Harvey said, stunned.

"What just happened?" Olivia asked him, as she crawled out of the squashed car. She then helped Rachel to get out.

"Something just landed in the middle of the street," Harvey said, as he pointed.

"Dear God," Rachel murmured, as she and Olivia stared at the crater that had been created by whatever had fallen onto the street. "What was it?"

Gordon came over with Renee. "You two all right?" he asked.

Olivia nodded. "We're fine, sir. What just fell?"

"It-it looked like a body," Gordon said, himself appearing unnerved by the situation. "But we can't be sure."

"STAY BACK!" a voice commanded from above them.

Olivia glanced up and saw Batman glide down for a perfect landing in front of them. His wings had instantly melted back into his cape once more.

"Was that the perp who hit the pavement, Bats?" Harvey asked. "Because, if it was, I wouldn't worry about him getting up again."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Batman said, as he warily stared at the crater.

Olivia's eyes went wide with terror and astonishment when she saw a pair of hands reach up from out of the crater. They gripped the sides of the crater as a large, glass-covered man arose to his feet.

'No, not glass,' Olivia corrected herself. 'Ice. He's completely covered with ice.'

She watched, fascinated, as the ice man's head turned towards them--the ice buckled and cracked on his head and neck as he did this.

"Oh, man," Harvey muttered dismally, as he and all the other police pulled out their guns, "I really hate the weird ones…."

"Jim," Batman said, "get everybody back, now! Clear the area!"

"You heard the man," Gordon called to the gathering of police, "back off, now! Get behind the cars!"

Rachel was so intently watching the confrontation between Batman and the ice man that Olivia had to grab her arm and pull her to safety with the others.

"What's he going to do?" Rachel said to Olivia, as she watched Batman with concern from behind a patrol car down the street.

"I have no idea," Olivia admitted.

She helplessly watched as Batman strode up to the ice man. Then the Dark Knight raised his left gauntlet to his face and said, "Come here."

Olivia glanced up and saw the Batwing as it soared down towards the street.

The ice man, thinking Batman meant him, got out of the crater and walked over to Batman.

"Veer left, two meters," Batman said into the back of his glove. "Full vertical thrust."

Olivia watched as the Batwing corrected its course, as it now came down right on top of Mr. Freeze, who still didn't know it was coming.

The ice on the lower half of his face broke open, and he spoke. "I just survived a forty story fall, Batman. There is nothing that can harm me."

"Can you stand the heat?" Batman asked.

Just then Mr. Freeze let out a roar of pain as the Batwing hovered directly over him with its thrusters blaring at full power. The ice man cringed as he leaped over to a squad car. He grabbed the front end with both hands.

Olivia and Rachael both let out horrified shouts as Mr. Freeze effortlessly lifted the squad car and flung it up at the Batwing.

The explosion was deafening as Olivia and Rachel dived under cover behind the cars with the others. Flaming debris shot over their heads, as Olivia's mind reeled from the harsh fact that the Batwing had just been destroyed.

'But what about Bruce?' she anxiously wondered. 'Did he get to safety just before it exploded?'

"It's like a goddamned war zone!" Renee shouted at nobody in particular.

Olivia, who was surprised to see the young detective, abruptly pulled her into a protective huddle against the car. Olivia held Rachel in her other arm.

But Rachel suddenly stood up and stared in horror at the flaming wreckage in the middle of the street. When Olivia glanced at it, the wreckage looked like a strange blending of the Batwing and the patrol car, as if it were a piece of abstract artwork.

But there was no sign of Batman…of Bruce.

There was also no sign of Mr. Freeze. It looked to Olivia like he used the explosion as cover to escape. She shook her head in amazement at the sight of a smoldering piece of the Batwing that lay in the street. She knew the Batwing was just a machine, but Olivia still couldn't help but be grief-stricken at it's destruction. 'Oh, God….'

"Where is he?" Rachel urgently whispered. "Is he all right?"

Olivia took her hand in her own and squeezed it tightly. "Knowing him, he probably gave chase once Freeze took off."

Rachel stared at her with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Olivia replied--despite the fact that she didn't really know what had happened to the Batman. Still, she had to be strong for Rachel. "C'mon, let's get you home."

When Olivia told Gordon she was taking Rachel home, he nodded in agreement. "This battle's over, anyway, Liv. Might as well start packing up. See you tomorrow."

As she got into another squad car that had been given to her, Olivia glanced over at Rachel, who still stared worriedly at the flaming wreckage. The fire department had arrived, and was already putting out the fires.

"Bruce isn't here, sweetie," she assured her. "He's already tracking Mr. Freeze."

"How will he get back home?" Rachel asked sadly. "The Batwing is gone…."

That question gave Olivia pause. "I'm sure Bruce has a contingency plan worked out in a case like this."

'I hope!' Olivia anxiously thought.

**B&B**

Dick let out a sigh as he shut the text book. He felt as though if he read any more, his eyes would fall out. But he now knew the subject matter well enough to feel confident that he would ace the exam tomorrow.

'First I'll get a glass of water, then it's bedtime,' he thought, as he rose from his desk. He was startled when he heard a sharp, urgent knocking at his door.

'Or maybe not,' Dick thought, as he went to open the door.

Alfred stood outside. "Terribly sorry to disturb you, Master Dick, but Robin is needed right now."

Dick stared in shock at him for a few seconds, until what Alfred had told him finally sunk in. "Oh, uh, yeah," Dick replied. He left his room and quickly went with Alfred down the hall. "What happened?"

"Master Bruce has encountered a new villain, a Mr. Freeze," Alfred explained as they walked. "And during their battle, the Batwing has been destroyed."

"WHAT?!" Dick cried. "Is Bruce all right?"

"Master Bruce is fine," Alfred assured him. "Although he urgently needs transportation back to Wayne Manor. Normally, I'd go and get him myself, but--"

"Say no more, Alfred, I got this," Dick told him. They entered the study and he pulled back the head on the William Shakespeare bust. When he pressed the button, the secret doorway to the Batcave popped open and they entered the passageway. "What's this Mr. Freeze supposed to be, Captain Cold's cousin?"

"He was the one who put Captain Cold and his men in the hospital," Alfred replied, as they rode down to the Batcave proper in the elevator.

"So _he_ was the one who made Cold his bitch, huh?" Dick said with a nod. He suddenly had a new-found respect for this Mr. Freeze guy. After he changed into his Robin outfit in the wardroom, Robin took a sheet of paper that Alfred gave him. "What's this?"

"The location where Master Bruce said he was," Alfred replied. "The GPS system in the Batmobile can find it for you."

Robin shook his head as he read the address. It was in the warehouse district. "No need; I know where this is."

"Thank you, Master Dick," Alfred called to him as he ran towards the Batmobile.

"Hey, what are loyal sidekicks for, Alfred?" Robin said, as he flashed a smile over his shoulder.

**B&B**

When Olivia drove up to the front of Wayne Manor, she was grateful to see Alfred already stood outside waiting for them. She had intented to see Rachel off and then drive home to Alex--until Rachel grasped her hand and said, "You're coming in, right?"

"Sure," Olivia replied, as she forced a smile. Although she wasn't planing on coming inside, the truth was that Olivia was concerned about Rachel, who appeared to be very badly shaken over the confrontation between Batman and Mr. Freeze.

Rachel waited as Olivia parked the car and switched it off. Then, as they got out and ascended the main steps, Alfred met them halfway.

"Have you heard?" Rachel asked him.

"I did indeed," the old man replied. "Master Dick just drove out now in the Batmobile to retrieve Master Bruce."

"So Bruce has contacted you?" Olivia asked with relief.

Alfred nodded as they went inside. "He has. And he's fine. I'm told the Batwing is a loss."

"Is it ever," Olivia muttered sadly. "Mr. Freeze threw a car at it!"

"It's been on the evening news," Alfred said, as he took their coats in the foyer. "Although no actual footage of the event has been shown."

"Reporters didn't start arriving until after it was over," Olivia replied. They moved to the living room, where Olivia and Rachel sat on the massive sofa. Alfred turned on the TV news, which showed a scene of fire fighters battling the last few blazes on the street.

Watching the sight of dozens of police investigators crawling over the wreckage of the Batwing was unsettling to Olivia. "Hope there wasn't anything left in there that could lead back to Bruce."

"In a scenario like this, the Batwing's computer was designed to wipe its own hard drive, and then self destruct entirely," Alfred informed her. "All they'll find is ashes. Masters Bruce and Dick always wore gloves whenever they used the Batwing, so there will be no fingerprints."

Olivia's eyes grew very wide when a scary thought struck her. "Yeah, uh, but whenever I rode in it, I never wore gloves, Alfred. So they'll probably find _my_ fingerprints…."

"And as well they should," Alfred replied with a smile. "You're Batman's Buddy, Olivia. You're expected to be riding in the Batwing."

"Oh, yeah!" Olivia said with a broad grin. "I never thought of it that way."

As Rachel watched the news with an unusual intensity, she took Olivia's hand in her own and held it tightly.

"Rachel, you ok?" Olivia asked, concerned.

"Hmm," she murmured, distracted, as she stared at the news with a mixture of rapt fascination and horror. Then Rachel glanced down at the floor and said, "Take off your shoes."

When Olivia gave her a puzzled look, Rachel said, "You always take off your shoes whenever you spend the night here. You _are_ spending the night here tonight, right?"

"Um, yeah, sure," Olivia answered, as she dutifully reached down and pulled off her shoes. She had to do this with one hand, because Rachel still clung tightly to her other hand.

Olivia gave Alfred a furtive look of concern, and he sat down on the other side of Rachel and gently said, "Miss Rachel, Master Bruce is just fine. He'll be home before you know it."

"I want him home right now," Rachel said, her voice breaking. "I also want Dick here, and Alex, and Barbra…I want everybody I know and love right here with me, safe and sound!"

She burst into tears just then, and Olivia took her into her arms. "It's ok, Rachel," she consoled. "It's gonna be ok."

"No it's not!" Rachel said, as she wiped away a tear. "Mr. Freeze is an inhuman monster! He fell forty stories and just shook it off, like it was nothing! How the hell is Bruce supposed to fight something like that? He's quit the Justice League, Liv; he's alone now."

"No he's not," Olivia told her. "Bruce has all of us on his side."

"And you're forgetting something very important, Miss Rachel," Alfred added.

"What's that?"

"Mr. Freeze was responsible for the loss of the Batwing," Alfred said. "And if I know Master Bruce, he's no doubt infuriated about it. When Master Bruce catches up with him, I'll actually feel very sorry for Mr. Freeze!"

Rachel burst into a smile at that. "Thanks, Alfred."

"Well, now that that's settled," Olivia said, as she stood up and collected her shoes. "I guess I'll--"

She stopped when Rachel stared up at her with a wounded look. "I thought you said you were staying over, Liv…."

"Uh, yeah, I am," she quickly said. The fact of the matter was, Olivia had been just about to leave. But the hurt look that Rachel gave her had stopped Olivia in her tracks. "Um, I'm gonna call Alex and let her know where I am."

Rachel just gave her a suspicious look. "You were gonna leave, weren't you? If you want to, go ahead."

"No, no, that's ok, sweetie, really." Olivia placed her shoes back down on the floor. Then she sat back down and pulled out her cell phone to call Alex.

"Alfred, take her shoes and hide them," Rachel whispered in a mock-conspiratorial tone.

"Oh nice," Olivia muttered, as the smiling butler bent down and removed her shoes. "Real nice, guys…great way to make me feel paranoid…."

"Perhaps we should chain Olivia to the radiator, Miss Rachel," Alfred jokingly suggested, "just to make sure she doesn't sneak out?"

"You know, that actually wouldn't bother me," Olivia said with chuckle, as she speed-dialed Alex's number. "Not after some of the wacked-out experiments that Bruce has already performed on me…."

**B&B**

Batman waited, perched on the ledge of the warehouse, and thought about the leadership of the Gotham City franchise of Star Labs. At the time of the explosion in the lab--which turned Victor Fries into what he was today--Walter Lason was the chief adminstrator, with Greene as the head scientist. There was a third man who made up what was known as the holy trinity of management of the Gotham ity Star Labs. He was the chief of security…what was his name?

'Donald Watts,' Batman thought with a nod. While doing research earlier, he recalled seeing that, although Greene had taken over the retired Larson's post as administrator, Watts was still chief of security of the Gotham City Lab.

'If Fries is truly seeking vengeance against the Star Labs management, then Watts should be next on his hit list,' Batman thought. 'And if Watts has any brains at all, he should be out seeking police protection right now.'

But this line of thinking brought up another question. Why was Fries seeking revenge against Star Labs at all? What happened to him was just a horrible accident.

Or was it?

When the Batmobile silently glided into view in the alleyway below, Batman unfurled his cape into wings and flew down to greet it.

The canopy slid open, and Robin grinned at him from the driver's seat. "Somebody call a Bat-taxi?"

Batman groaned, shaking his head, as he got in the passenger side.

"Seriously, Batman, you ok?" Robin asked with concern.

"I'm pissed off," Batman admitted. "I lost track of Fries in the sewer. Not to mention the fact that I lost the Batwing while fighting him. But, other than that, I'll live."

"You wanna do a patrol?" Robin suggested. "See if we can pick up his trail again?"

Batman shook his head. "No, the investigation would be better served at this point by going back to the Batcave. I want to do some research on something."

"You got it." Robin closed the canopy and drove away. "What are you researching?"

"The motivation behind vengeance," Batman thoughtfully answered.

**B&B**

"Oh, c'mon!" Donald Watts said with impatience. "Look, I know it's late. But he's gotta see me now! It's a matter of life and death."

The man whom he spoke to stood in the doorway of a old abandoned factory. He was tall, bald, and wore shades--despite the fact that it was night. He shrugged. "No offense, buddy. But if something does happens to you, it ain't no skin off the boss's nose. You hear what I'm saying, here?"

Watts leaned forward and, as calmly as he could, said, "Let me rephrase it for you: it's a life and death situation for _all_ of us--including your boss."

The bald man just shook his head as he pulled out one of those cell phones that one could speak into like an old style walkie-talkie.

After a few frantic seconds of watching him speak privately into it for a moment, Watts was pleased when the man looked up and said, "Yeah, all right. He'll see you. But you'd better not be yanking his chain!"

The man took Watts through the empty factory to an office upstairs, which was also empty--save for a desk and chair in the center of the room. The man whom Watts came to see sat in the shadows just beyond the reach of the lamp on the desk.

"I'm sorry to barge in on you like this," Watts told him. "But, well, you must have seen the news tonight. That bastard also got Peter."

"You should be happy," a sneering voice said from the chair. "You might be next in line for his job."

"You don't get it, do you?" Watts anxiously said. "Look, this is Victor Fries, here! God only knows how he survived that explosion, but he did! And he's coming after all of us!"

"Oh no, you're quite mistaken," the man at the desk corrected. "I had nothing to do with his little 'accident.' I was in prison at the time."

"Yeah, right, but if he gets me, then you will no longer have access to any of the tech and information that I've been supplying you," Watts said. "But if you _were_ to protect me from Fries, and if I _were_ to become the next chief administrator of the Gotham City Star Labs, then I would be extremely grateful to you. Understand?"

The chair rocked back. "In other words, I would have the chief adminstrator of the Gotham City Star Labs in my pocket, eh?"

"Yeah, something like that," Watt said with a nod. "But you gotta protect me from Fries. You gotta do that, first!"

The chair leaned forward, and the cigarette holder in the man's mouth swung upwards as he grinned broadly. The monocle he wore reflected the light from the lamp. "Why, of course I'll help you, my dear boy! After all, who better to protect you from the big, bad snowman than the Penguin, heh? Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

**To Be Continued....**


	4. Chapter 4

_I'd like to thank RebelByrdie and Zarathustra1030 for their reviews. I really appreciate it, as always. _

_I'd also like to thank those of you who were kind enough to add this story to your fave/alerts. Thanks very much. _

**Batman & Benson 4**

**Chapter Four**

Bruce sat back in his seat at the computer in the Batcave and wearily rubbed his eyes. After returning from tonight's disastrous outing with Mr. Freeze, Bruce immediately hit the computer and tried to look up everything he could find on the accident at Star Labs that Victor Fries was involved in. Dick had wanted to help, but Bruce declined the offer. Dick had an important exam at school the following day, and it was bad enough that Bruce caused Dick to miss out on most of a good night's sleep by forcing him to pick him up.

'The Batwing,' Bruce thought regretfully, as he shook his head. 'Damn it….'

He kept replaying the night's events in his head, reanalyzing his decisions in an attempt to see if he could have avoided the Batwing's destruction by doing something different, but Bruce soon realized that this was a futile gesture, at best. Simply put, he had underestimated Victor Fries, and the cost of that was the Batwing--he just had to accept the situation for what it was and move on. And the best way to do that was try and find out why Fries sought revenge on his former partners at Star Labs in the first place. He suspected that the accident which turned Victor Fries into Mr. Freeze may not have been an accident, and tried to uncover evidence of his suspicion.

Yet that was easier said than done. All of the research he had done into the accident had so far yielded nothing. Bruce checked the news sites online, and saw plenty of coverage of his battle with Mr. Freeze--the press loved that new moniker, and used it continuously.

Playing a hunch, he looked up the obit of Walter Larson. He read that, although the recently retired administrator of Star Labs had settled down in a new home in Willow Hills, he was still doing some part-time consulting work for Allied-Gantt.

Bruce looked up Allied-Gantt, and saw that they were another high tech firm that specialized in scientific research. Once he retired, Larson became a consultant for a firm that was essentially a rival of Star Labs--and Bruce couldn't help but wonder if Larson's relationship with Allied-Gantt was created long before his retirement from Star Labs. And did his "consulting" work include keeping tabs on Star Labs employees who were developing tech that threatened to usurp Allied-Gantt? Star Labs employees like Dr. Victor Fries?

In reading about Fries' accident, Bruce recalled that it had been an after hours affair that was not condoned by the upper management. Larson himself had stated that Fries had violated standard orders that banned all research into cryogenics at the Star Labs facility.

Bruce considered this for a moment. What if Larson was getting paid off by Allied-Gantt to stifle whatever new technical knowledge that was being created at Star Labs? The ban he placed on cryogenic research at Star Labs ensured that nobody would make any major discoveries--nobody but Allied-Gantt. Along comes Victor Fries, who will stop at nothing to save his dying wife, and he goes right head and conducts his own research--against Larson's orders. It would be in the best interest of Larson's, and Allied-Gantt's, to stop Fries from succeeding. If Victor Fries realized this, it would be all the motive he needed to go on the warpath against his former boss.

'Nice theory, but I need proof,' Bruce thought. 'And the Batman can't very well go around questioning people….'

When he heard the elevator doors open, Bruce glanced behind him and smiled when he saw Olivia emerge.

Olivia, seeing his smile, paused warily. "What? Don't tell me you have another experiment you want to try out on me?!"

"No, nothing like that," Bruce replied, grinning.

When he explained his suspicions about the late Walter Larson, Olivia nodded her head in agreement. "It would explain why Victor Fries is so hell-bent on killing his former co-workers," she said.

"I was just wondering if you could do some quiet digging around for me regarding this theory, Liv."

"Yeah, sure," she said thoughtfully. "In fact, you know Angie Davison, the young 'gymnast' whom they found at Larson's house when he was killed? She'll be at police headquarters later today to answer some more questions."

"Is your team involved in the case?"

She shook her head. "We're not the primary investigators because it's not technically an SVU case--she wasn't a rape victim, and she's well above the age of legal consent. But Larson was paying her very well to be his private bedroom squeeze toy--which basically makes her a prostitute."

"She's admitted this?"

"No, but Mike and Andrea strongly suspected it. Davison quit school and lives very well, despite having no real source of income. But Davison's insisting that Larson was her beloved boyfriend--which nobody really believes. I'll check into it for you, Bruce. If anybody would know about whether Larson had Fries' experiment sabotaged--or if Larson was on Allied-Gantt's payroll all along--it should be Davison. A lot of juicy stuff gets shared in pillow talk."

"Thanks, Liv, I'd appreciate it."

She gave him a thoughtful look. "I was wondering if you could do _me_ a favor in return…."

"Name it."

"You really need to see Rachel before she leaves for work this morning, Bruce. She was worried sick about you all last night. That's why I'm here; she asked me to stay over. Seeing Mr. Freeze in action last night really rattled her--it scared the crap out of me, too, but it really affected Rachel very strongly. She needs you right now."

Bruce nodded as he glanced at his watch. "She should be getting up right about now. I'll go see her. Thanks, sis."

"You're welcome, bro," Olivia replied with a smile. Then her smile faded as she stared sadly at the floor.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's the Batwing," Olivia said, her voice heavy with emotion. "Oh, Bruce…."

Bruce quickly got up and comforted her with a tight embrace. "I know, Liv. But, at the end of the day, it was just a machine. And it'll soon be replaced."

"Believe me, I feel silly getting all choked up over it," Olivia said, as she wiped away a tear. "But I have such fond memories of that thing. I still remember the first time you took me up in it, when I was posing as Moiré Detune."

Bruce stared at her. "As I recall, Moiré Detune caught you in her place and damned near killed you--_that's_ what you remember fondly?"

"Well, no, of course not, for Christ's sake!" Olivia muttered, as she lightly slapped him on the arm. "I remember fondly all the times I was up in the Batwing, silly! You and Robin even brought me home in it from Luthor's base in Kansas, and just _being_ in the Batwing made me feel like I was already home."

Bruce smiled at the pleasant memory of bringing Olivia back home safe and sound from the melee that occurred at Luthor's secret Warehouse 15. "As I recall, you and Robin were sort of squashed together in the back seat."

"Maybe you could take that in consideration for the next Batwing," Olivia told him. "More spacious seats."

"That won't be a problem with the new one."

She frowned at him. "You make it sound like it's already built."

"It is…practically. It's something that I had Lucius working on for me these past few months. It's called the Javelin; which was which basically a larger version of the Batwing that I was building for the Justice League. They needed a transport for some of the non-super powered members to get back and forth to the satellite. But, since I left the group…."

"You get to keep your toys," Olivia said with a smile. "Cool."

"You've heard about what happened between me and the League?"

She nodded. "Rachel told me. And I think you made the right choice, especially with keeping a shard of kryptonite on your Batsuit. They've basically treated you like a damned criminal." She did a double take at something past Bruce's shoulder. "Hey, speaking of which, there's the Flash right now."

Bruce noticed stock footage of the Flash being shown on a newscast on one of the smaller monitors. When he brought it up on the main screen, they saw that it was a news piece on the revelation that it had been Mr. Freeze who had put Captain Cold and his men in the hospital.

"But not everyone appears to be buying the official story put out by the Gotham City Police Department," Summer Gleason, the female newscaster said. "When asked about it, just after saving lives in a pile up on the freeway in Central City, the Flash had this to say."

The picture cut to the Flash, who strode away from the camera. As he did, he glanced over his shoulder and said, "Sure, the Gotham City police department has just cleared the Batman. But since Batman does most of their dirty work for them, it would be in their best interest to protect him, wouldn't it?"

"Are you saying that this is a cover up by the Gotham City police, Flash?" a reporter asked.

But the Flash merely waved and then sped off.

"Well, screw you, too, Flash!" Olivia said, enraged. "I don't frigging believe this! He just basically said we're all corrupt! Oh, Gordon's gonna hit the ceiling when he sees this!"

"That _was_ a cheap shot," Bruce admitted. "But don't let it get to you, Liv."

"I won't, but what's his frigging problem, anyway? Is he jealous that somebody other than him took down Captain Cold?"

"Actually, the Flash isn't petty like that," Bruce told her. "Captain Cold is one of a rogues gallery of villains whom the Flash takes a more…gentler disposition towards. He believes they are simply misguided souls who can benefit more from compassion, above all else. So he was outraged by the fact that Captain Cold was left for dead on the streets. He's an extremely decent man, Liv--to a fault."

"What is he, a Quaker?"

Bruce chuckled as he and Olivia strode over to the elevator. "Apparently things are more laid back in Central City than they are here."

"Then maybe Captain Cold should have _stayed_ in Central City," Olivia said, as they got in the elevator. "Hey, is this truly the end of it with you and the Justice League? They're not going to push this, are they?"

"They'd better not," Bruce said darkly, "for their sake."

**B&B**

Bruno Lansky and Emil Rondos briskly wheeled the laundry cart down the corridor of Angel Of Mercy hospital. Although they were dressed in white hospital orderly uniforms--with Emil having even pulled his long black hair back into a pony tail--it was just as important that they acted as though they truly belonged in the hospital.

Therefore, they assumed an almost bored air as they continued to wheel the laundry cart, which was filled with clean bed sheets that they removed from the laundry storage room that they stole it from. The tangled pile of bed sheets would provide the proper cover that they needed.

When they finally emerged into the corridor where Nora Fries' hospital room was, Emil had a hitch in his step when he saw the two police officers standing guard at her door.

"C'mon," Bruno urged him onwards in a whisper. "We knew there'd be a good chance that they'd be here. Business as usual, remember?"

"I'm good," Emil whispered back, as they both walked straight up to the door of Nora Fries' room.

One of the uniformed policemen, a Hispanic man with a goatee, regarded them with a critical eye. "What do you want?"

"We're here to change the bed sheets," Bruno said with a shrug, "what does it look like?"

"You're early today, aren't you?" his partner, a young black woman said.

"Didn't know we were keeping to a special schedule," Emil said with a grin.

When the cops continued to stare at them with hesitant looks, Bruno decided to roll the dice right there and then.

"Look, if us being here now is a problem for you--fine, we'll leave," he said.

"Yeah," Emil added. "We can always come back tomorrow…."

"Let her lay in dirty bed sheets for a day," Bruno said with a distraught shake of his head.

"No, wait," the Hispanic cop said suddenly. After a glance at his partner, he waved them inside. "Go ahead."

"It's just that she usually doesn't have her sheets changed this early," the female cop said. She still appeared suspicious of them.

"Several of our prior patients have been discharged, so she got bumped up on the schedule," Emil explained. "What can I tell ya?"

That appeared to satisfy the black cop. Once she nodded, Bruno and Emil went straight into Nora Fries' hospital room. The door was left open, but the cops stood facing outwards, with their backs turned to them.

Bruno and Emil worked fast. After Bruno removed the IV from her hand, Emil picked up the comatose Nora Fries in his arms while Bruno removed a bundle of sheets from the laundry cart. Emil then placed Nora Fries into the cart in a fetal position. Then Bruno placed the sheets on top of the woman, covering her from view.

They then drew the curtain around the empty hospital bed and then wheeled the cart, which contained their slumbering kidnap victim, right out of the room.

"Take it easy," Bruno told the cops.

"You too," the Hispanic man replied. "Sorry about giving you such grief."

"Hey, you can't be too careful these days, right?" Emil called back with a smile.

His smile vanished once he and Bruno rounded the corner and wheeled the cart into a freight elevator. They took the elevator down to the parking level--where, once they saw the coast was clear, they wheeled the cart over to their van. Bruno carried the slumbering Nora Fries inside the cargo hold of the van and placed her down on a comfortable bed made up of a sleeping bag and pillows.

Emil got in behind him and slid the side door closed. Then he went up to the driver's seat and sat down. He was driving out of the parking level and on the street in just under two minutes. They knew they were probably spotted by the surveillance system. But hopefully nobody would notice their kidnapping until they were well enough away.

Once they arrived at the safe house, with the van parked in the private garage, Bruno finally relaxed. They'd did it.

He stared down at the sleeping woman, and noted how beautiful she was; Nora Fries looked like an angel. Bruno almost pitied her.

Emil slapped him hard on the shoulder and said, "Why don't you kiss her? Maybe you'll wake her up--just like that Sleeping Beauty broad."

"Cute…real cute," Bruno muttered, as he took out his cell phone. He sped-dialed a special number, and when it answered, he said, "We're good to go."

**B&B**

"Good," Lazlo replied. Then he closed his cell and strode over to the short, squat man who was seated at the desk. "They got her, Penguin."

"Excellent!" he cried, as his cigarette holder shot up in approval. "Good to see the plan is proceeding nicely, eh?"

Lazlo nodded, as he absently rubbed his bald head with his hand. "We're gonna be in for a hell of a fight once Mr. Freeze finds out that we've got his wife. You want me to call in some extra firepower?"

But the Penguin merely shook his head. "No need. Because we won't be fighting Mr. Freeze."

Lazlo frowned at his boss. "But I thought we promised Watts--"

"To hell with what we promised Watts," the Penguin said, with a wave of his hand. "Did you seriously expect me to be satisfied with the arrangement that twit promised us? Oh, no…I want nothing less than to be king of the criminal underworld, Lazlo. And Nora Fries is the key to making that happen for me."

Lazlo shook his head in confusion and said, "Excuse me, boss…but how?"

"Watch and learn, my dear Lazlo, watch and learn. Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

**B&B**

The situation with the Justice League had been snowballing all day. The comments made by the Flash earlier had been playing continuously on the cable news shows, the radio talk shows, as well as online. When the ever-bombastic Carl Bormann declared on his radio talk show that it would be a good thing for the Justice League to invade Gotham City and clean it up once and for all, Mayor Garcia finally had just about all he could take.

And so Rachel found herself standing at the podium in the communications center of City Hall, along with Jim Gordon and the Mayor. There was a large army of reporters assembled before them, and the press conference had been called by Mayor Garcia to straighten out the situation by giving Gotham City's side of the issue.

Yet while Rachel stood alongside Gordon and the Mayor physically, mentally, she was someplace else. She kept thinking back to the surprise visit Bruce had paid her earlier this morning, when she had been getting dressed for work--and before she knew it, Rachel quickly removed what little clothing she'd put on, as Bruce swept her off her feet and brought her back to bed.

What followed was the kind of passionate lovemaking that Rachel always enjoyed, as she found herself at one point, while in the throes of ecstasy, gripping the headboard so hard that her hands ached. Once they were finished, and cuddled close together in bed, Rachel had expressed her concerns for Bruce fighting Mr. Freeze.

"He's nothing like the regular criminals you've fought before," she told him.

"Neither was Killer Croc," he replied. "But I still took him down. And I'll stop Mr. Freeze, as well. Remember what I've once said to you, Rachel? The bigger they are…."

"…the harder they fall," she finished, with a smile.

Rachel smiled slightly now at that pleasant memory. She often wished that she had half of Bruce's confidence--but sometimes, just being with him like that was more than enough to get her suited to face whatever Gotham City threw at her.

And right now, it was throwing curve balls….

"Commissioner Gordon, speaking of Mr. Freeze," a female reporter spoke up. "Now that the Batman has been so resoundingly defeated by him, will you ask for help from the Justice League?"

"Who said anything about Batman being defeated?" Gordon shot back. "The Dark Knight fought Mr. Freeze to a standstill, and eventually forced Freeze to retreat."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but Batman's Batwing _was_ destroyed in the--"

"I'm not going to argue every little detail of the battle with you," Gordon said, cutting her off. "And Batman is far greater than the sum of his vehicles."

A male reporter held up his hand as he spoke frantically into his cell phone. When Gordon choose him, he said, "What's your reaction to the recent development with Captain Cold?"

Gordon shot a puzzled look at Rachel, who shrugged slightly at him in response. "What development would this be?" he asked.

"Captain Cold has now retracted his earlier statement, about Mr. Freeze being the one who placed him and his men in the hospital," the reporter said. "He's now saying that he was coerced into saying that by Gotham City detectives. Cold says that it was the Batman all along who nearly killed him. What's your comment on this?"

Rachel closed her eyes and shook her head with disgust as the entire cadre of reporters went wild with this latest news. She glanced off to the side and saw Alex frantically speaking into her phone. After a few seconds of checking, Alex turned to her and nodded grimly: the story was true.

Rachel then gathered with Gordon and Mayor Garcia in a huddle behind the podium. "Alex has just confirmed it," she said. "The story's true. Cold really did retract his statement."

"Son of a--" Gordon started to curse, but then stopped himself.

"Hell of a time for us to find out about this," the Mayor muttered with equal disgust.

Rachel gestured at the pack of ravenous reporters. "May I?"

Garcia nodded. "Please do."

It took some time for Rachel to quell the reporters, many of whom rudely shouted questions at her. But she merely stood there with her hands held up like a schoolteacher hushing her riled up students. Once they finally calmed down, she spoke.

"Please consider the source of this new information," she said, keeping her voice calm and level. "Captain Cold is a convicted felon who has harassed the Flash and Central City more times than they'd care to count. He is essentially an agent of chaos, and by retracting his earlier statement--which is the truth--and by now putting out this lie, he's simply continuing his criminal behavior of causing mayhem in any fashion he can."

"You were willing to take his word when he exonerated the Batman!" a man shouted from the back. "The Flash is right; you _are_ protecting the Batman, aren't you?!"

The Mayor briskly stepped in and said, "That's all for now. Thank you."

As they left the podium, the reporters began to wildly ask a multitude of questions all at once. Rachel noted that Renee Montoya now stood alongside Alex off to the side.

"That could have gone better," Rachel told Alex with a sigh.

"Yeah? Well, you're gonna love this!" Alex replied.

Rachel saw she gestured at Montoya who urgently ran over to Gordon and whispered something in his ear. "If this is about Cold's back-stabbing, Alex, you should have told Montoya that we already knew."

"It's not that," Alex said, with a shake of her head. "Nora Fries has been kidnapped from her hospital room."

Rachel stared at her in disbelief. "By Mr. Freeze?"

"No, by a pair of guys dressed as orderlies. They caught sight of them on the surveillance cameras--but only after they were long gone." Alex shook her head dismally. "Looks like this is turning out to be another one of those days--the kind that makes me wish I'd stayed in bed."

Rachel thought back to her moment of bliss in bed with Bruce earlier today--and desperately wished she was still there with him. "Believe me, Alex, I know exactly how you feel…."

**B&B**

"And, here she is," Lucius Fox said, with a grand sweep of his hands, "the Javelin."

Bruce nodded when he saw the sleek vehicle, which gleamed under the lights of the Applied Sciences Division warehouse. "Impressive, Lucius; you're a lot further along than I had thought."

"Once the subassemblies were completed in our subsidiary factories, it was a cinch for me to put her together when everything arrived here."

Bruce gave the elderly man a double take. "You put this monster together yourself?"

"Yes. But I had plenty of help."

Bruce smiled when Lucius pointed at the long line of massive robotic arms, which now all sat quietly off to the side. "I guess we won't have to worry about this bunch babbling to their families about this secret project."

"She's two thirds larger than the Batwing," Lucius said, as he showed Bruce the Javelin. "With more than enough room for six people, and she's space worthy."  
"How does it feel to have finally built a bona fide rocket ship, Lucius?"

"Well, she'll take you as far as the Justice League space station," he warned. "But that's the extent of her range. If the League is planning any deep space missions, they're just gonna have to consult with NASA."

Bruce looked over the gleaming silver finish of the Javelin. When he glanced up at Lucius, he had a smirk as he said, "Does she come in black?"

Lucius stared at him, puzzled. "The League wants it to be repainted?"

"No, I do. I'm taking this for myself," Bruce answered. "To replace the Batwing."

Lucius nodded in understanding. "Then the stories I heard were true; you did leave the League. I guess you're not gonna wait for me to build you a replacement Batwing, huh?"

"This will make do, until a proper Batwing replacement is ready. Also, Lucius, I was wondering if you could design and build an anti-freeze delivery system."

"An anti-freeze delivery system?" Lucius repeated thoughtfully. "For the Javelin?"

Bruce shook his head. "No. For a seven foot tall ice man with an attitude problem."

**B&B**

"I-I don't know," Angie Davison said, as she sat at the interoggation table. She wiped away a tear with a tissue that had been given to her by Olivia. "Walter was such a wonderful man….."

"So you never heard anything about him being involved with industrial espionage?" Olivia asked gently.

Angie was about to shake her head--until she hesitated. "Why are you asking about this, anyway? What does this have to do with anything?"

"We're trying to determine if Walter's killing was the result of revenge on the part of Mr. Freeze," Olivia answered.

"Revenge? For what?"

"Mr. Freeze used to be known as a man called Victor Fries, who used to work for Walter," Olivia said. "Fries suffered a terrible accident while working at the lab--it was originally assumed that he died, but the accident was what turned him into Mr. Freeze. There are some suspicions that the accident might not have been an accident--that it was deliberately set up by Walter Larson and others within the Gotham City Star Labs."

Angie stared at her with a mixture of horror and anger. "So you're saying that Walter got what he deserved?!"

"No, not at all, Angie," Olivia insisted. "But if the motive for Walter's murder was revenge, we need to confirm it if we're going to have any chance of stopping Mr. Freeze. Do you understand, sweetie? This needs to be cleared up, and if you have anything to say--"

"Walter was a kind and decent man!" Angie yelled at her. "He never hurt me! Our relationship may have started out as just fun and games at first, but it soon grew to the point where we loved each other dearly!"

Olivia's heart ached for the girl; it was apparent that she truly adored Walter Larson. "I just need you to clear up the charges of industrial espionage against him, that's all, Angie. Do you know if he received any extra payments? Has he mentioned this to you at all?"

Angie let out a sob as she leaned over the table and placed her face in her hands. "I-I don't want to soil his memory…."

'Dammit, she's so close….' Olivia thought. She got up and came around to Angie's side of the table, where she knelt down before the girl. "Angie? What you say here won't hurt Walter--because he's in a far better place than this, honey. He can no longer be hurt by anything, or anyone. And whatever you tell me now may well help us to stop Mr. Freeze. Whether or not Mr. Freeze has got a legitimate beef doesn't matter, because he's now killing people, and causing a lot of pain to others, like you. We've got to stop him, Angie, anyway we can. So, if you know something, anything--"

"Yes," Angie said, sobbing. "Walter was receiving payments. Cash payments, from Allied-Gant, long before he retired from Star Labs. He used to brag to me about it. He called it his little retirement fund."

'Bingo,' Olivia thought with relief, as she stood up and hugged the girl. "Thank you, Angie. You've been a huge help."

When she heard a tap at the door, Olivia said, "Excuse me, I'll be right back. Do you need anything?"

Angie shook her head. Olivia left the room and found Linda standing in the hallway. "Did you hear that? Angie just opened the door for us to investigate Allied-Gantt."

Although she smiled in response, Linda looked preoccupied. "That's great, Liv. But something else has occurred. Nora Fries has been abducted from her hospital room by a pair of men."

Olivia reeled back in shock at this. "I thought Gordon put people on guard outside of her room!"

"There _were_ guards," Linda said. "But the kidnappers were dressed as orderlies. They snuck Nora Fries out right past them in a laundry bin. Since this is a kidnapping, Gordon wants SVU detectives on the scene, now."

"He's got them," Olivia replied. "You and me. C'mon, let's go."

**B&B**

He had waited outside of Donald Watt's home for the better part of a day, now. But his quarry was nowhere to be seen. The house had sat empty all day, with the car gone from the garage.

He grew impatient, and decided to take a look inside the house. He stepped out from behind the garage and strode across the yard, towards the back door. As he did this, the ice on his right hand accumulated at a rapid pace, until his hand was encaged in ice that was three times its original size, and shaped into the form of a sledgehammer.

He smashed his hand against the back door, and it flew off of its hinges with a loud crashing sound. He no longer cared about being stealthy in his movements. After all, he'd fought the Batman, and beaten him. There was nothing--or nobody--for him to be afraid of anymore.

After a walk through of the house, he realized that Watts had been gone for quite some time. He probably took off once he found out that Larson and Greene were dead. Well, no matter, he would hunt down Watts no matter where he went in the--

He paused.

He had strode by the kitchen, when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There was an envelope on the counter, propped up against a cereal box. Written across the envelope was written 'Mr. Freeze.'

He allowed the ice on the tip of his index finger to grow out into a tapered blade. Then he used it to slice open the envelope along the top like a letter opener.

There was a sheet of paper within, with writing that appeared to have been printed out from a computer. "If you wish to find Donald Watts," it read, "we have him and are holding him just for you. He's all yours, if you want him."

The letter proceeded to give an address in the Iron View section of the city, as well as the time: seven o'clock tonight. It was not signed. He did not know who did this favor for him, or why.

But he was about to find out.

He slammed his sledgehammer hand against the front doors, shattering them into a million splinters of wood. A group of children playing in the street all screamed and ran for their lives when they saw him.

He smiled harshly. The little brats were smart to run.

Those who didn't get out of his way, like the Batman, learned the hard way the cost of their folly. Yet despite the fact that he had delivered a defeat to the Batman by destroying the Batwing, a part of him was still enraged that the Dark Knight had even dared to try and stop him.

'Perhaps, once Donald Watts is dead, I'll meet up with Batman again and finish what I've started,' he thought.

The grin of delight on his face was a ghastly sight to behold.

**B&B**

The Penguin raised the walkie-talkie to his face and said, "Any sign of him?"

"Nothing, boss," came the reply. "All clear."

"Any sign of anybody else?" the Penguin asked. "Any cops?"

"Nothing, boss," the man on the roof repeated. "I've got everybody up here telling me that it's all quiet on the streets around us."

"Very well, keep your eyes open," the Penguin ordered. He put the walk-talkie away within his suit jacket and proceeded to waddle around the stark, empty environs of the abandoned factory.

Lazlo stood with a group of heavily armed men off to the side. "I don't like this, Penguin…."

"What's for you to like?" the Penguin snapped.

"This whole situation is just wrong," Lazlo said, still looking uneasy. "We're leaving ourselves wide open, here. What if the cops got to the note before Mr. Freeze did?"

"I told you: our spies outside Watts' home reported seeing him enter the house. He was then seen leaving with a sheet of paper in his hand. He took the bait! Waugh! Waugh!"

Lazlo just nervously nodded his head. "Great, so all we have to deal with right now is a super-powered, psychotic iceman…."

"Rest easy, my dear Lazlo," the Penguin assured him. "Sometimes a great notion involves great risk. But the rewards will be greater than--"

He was cut off when a loud crashing sound could be heard in the distance. It echoed throughout the factory.

Penguin raised the walkie-talkie to his face and said, "Stephen, report! Any activity?"

"Still quiet on all streets in all directions," he reported.

"He's not coming from the streets," Lazlo said, as he pointed at something with wide eyes. "He's coming up from the basement…."

The Penguin let out a squawk as the massive basement door was ripped from its hinges and thrown across the factory floor. When a large, shambling monster emerged, completely encased in ice, Lazlo and the other men all instantly raised their automatic weapons at it.

Penguin had to admit that Mr. Freeze was indeed a formidable and striking figure. He could see the corpse-like body buried beneath the armor of ice, the dead eyes that stared directly at him. 'This is the creature that bested the Batman,' he reminded himself.

The Penguin made a grand show of ordering his men to lower their weapons. "We're all friends here!" he proclaimed. "Aren't we, Mr. Freeze?"

The ice in front of Mr. Freeze's mouth snapped and blew outwards, and the Penguin saw that this action allowed him to speak.

"Where is Donald Watts?" he asked, his voice a stale monotone that was itself chilling to hear.

The Penguin turned to Lazlo and said, "Show him Watts!"

Lazlo gestured for a pair of men to roll out Watts. Donald Watts hung from his bound hands by a metal hook that was attached to a railing that ran along the ceiling. He was pulled out and displayed before Mr. Freeze like a side of beef, his frantic protests muffled by a gag.

"As you can see," the Penguin said, as he grandly pointed at the bound Watts, "here is one of the fiends, who--"

He was startled into silence when Mr. Freeze strode up to the wiggling Watts and killed him instantly by ramming a large, pointed icicle straight through his heart. The bloodied tip of the icicle burst out from Watt's back, as he slumped into a hanging heap on the hook.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," one of the Penguin's men whispered in horror from behind him.

The deed done, Mr. Freeze snapped off the icicle from his hand, leaving it in Watt's body. Freeze then turned on his heel and began to walk away from them.

'He gets right to the point, doesn't he?' the Penguin thought. 'You've really got to admire that….'

"If only it were so easy to be rid of _all_ of the fiends in this situation," he called after Mr. Freeze. "Especially the ones who abducted your beloved wife…."

That stopped the ice man in his tracks. He spun around and blew out a chunk of ice from his mouth. "Nora?"

The Penguin nodded, as he tried his best to look gravely worried. "Yes, your beloved Nora was taken from her hospital bed this very day!" He turned to Lazlo, who--on cue--handed him that afternoon's edition of the Gotham Gazette. He gave the paper to Mr. Freeze. "See? I tell you, these fiends have no honor whatsoever! Once they heard you were striking back, _they_ fought back by fighting dirty!"

Mr. Freeze ripped apart the newspaper as he let out a low wail that became a howl of rage. Then he went face to face with the Penguin and growled: "Who? Who did this?!"

"They're up and coming mobsters--mere boys, actually--who are trying to take control of all Gotham City, now that Boss Thorne is dead," the Penguin replied. "I-I guess you could call them my business rivals…."

"You?!" Freeze muttered with surprise.

"I admit, I'm no boy scout," the Penguin told him, as he held his hands up. "I even served time for my evil deeds. But I never stooped this low, my dear boy. Never! When I got out of jail, I discovered this new generation of mobsters on the streets, who were far more ruthless than I could even imagine. What they've done here--by kidnapping your helpless wife--is just wrong! They must have been working in league with Larson and the others at Star Labs; they might have even been responsible for your so-called accident."

"Tell me who they are," Freeze said, furious. "Who abducted Nora?!"

"I have my suspicions, but I don't know for sure," the Penguin said. "If you wish, we could work together on this, as partners--until we find your precious Nora."

Mr. Freeze glared at him. "Why would you wish to help me?"

"Because, as I've stated, this is simply wrong!" the Penguin replied. "When you sought revenge by killing Larson and the others, instead of facing you man to man, these fiends have tried to fight back by abducting your helpless wife! They've crossed a line that never should be crossed, my friend. I would be very happy to see them go."

"You would also welcome less competition on the streets, once I've killed those who were responsible," Mr. Freeze muttered bluntly. "It would be good for your 'business', yes?"

"Well, yes, there's that," the Penguin admitted. "But these mad dogs would not be missed by anyone here in Gotham City--no matter what side of the law they might be on. What say you, my fine, frosty friend? Shall we join forces to hunt down these nefarious villains, and save your Nora?"

After a thoughtful pause, Mr. Freeze said, "Yes. If it will help find Nora, and get her safely back to the hospital. Yes; I shall work with you, for now."

The Penguin's cigarette holder shot up as he gave Mr. Freeze a pleased smile. 'At last, I finally have my own invulnerable assassin, with skin as impenetrable as steel, and a heart as cold as ice,' he thought. 'And, in Mr. Freeze's case, his heart probably really _is_ made of ice….'

"Wonderful!" the Penguin cried joyfully. "Just wonderful! Let's break out the bubbly and propose a toast to our new partnership, old boy. Because, I have the feeling that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship! Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

**To Be Continued....**


	5. Chapter 5

_I would like to thank FrozenFire676, piecesofyourheart, Zarathustra1030 and RebelByrdie for their reviews. Thanks very much!_

**Batman & Benson 4**

**Chapter Five**

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Superman said.

"Saying what was on my mind," the Flash replied. "I thought this was still a free country."

"That's not the damn point, and you know it," Green Arrow muttered, as he shook his head. "You were speaking on behalf of all of us, making fascist comments about--"

The Flash abruptly sat forward in his seat. "Fascist?! You're accusing _me_ of being a fascist?!"

"By making comments about invading Gotham City?!" Green Arrow replied. "Yeah, that sounds pretty damn fascist to me, buddy!"

J'onn J'onzz sat back in his chair and despondently watched as most of the earth's greatest heroes squabbled over the conference table like a group of angry children. He glanced out the massive window of the conference room, at the earth which serenely rolled by below them, and pondered the bitter irony of the situation. He was originally from a planet whom these earth people had named Mars, after a god of war whom they once worshipped--before Mars and his brethren were replaced in their affections by the modern-day gods. Yet, despite the warlike origins of the name of his planet, J'onn considered himself to be a man of peace.

Perhaps it was because he was the very last of his kind that caused J'onn to be graced with a special perspective on things. Namely, that you could lose everyone and everything that you cherished within the blink of an eye. This harsh fact of life was the main reason he had joined the Justice League. It was a group whose very existence was dedicated to preserving life and peace--however, with the way this meeting was presently going, J'onn seriously doubted that the League could preserve its own existence at the moment.

"The Flash is right," J'onn spoke up--his deep, rich voice instantly silencing all of the others. "He never stated anything about invading Gotham City. It was the more hysterical elements of the media who twisted his words. They are the ones who are practically goading us into invading."

"Thank you, J'onn," the Flash said with relief.

"That may be the case," Wonder Woman told them. "But the fact remains that we may well have to invade Gotham City, in order to bring Batman back up here."

"What?!" Superman said, shocked. "Why?"

"The Flash called for a special hearing into this matter--which the Batman is required to attend," Wonder Woman told him. "These are the rules which we all agreed to. And if the Batman thinks that he can shirk his responsibilities to the League by quitting, then he's seriously wrong."

"You're forgetting a very important fact, Princess," Green Arrow said. "Batman has been cleared of any wrong-doing by the GCPD, remember?"

Wonder Woman waved her hand. "That is still a point of contention. Captain Cold has since retracted his earlier statement; now he's saying that Batman was the one who attacked him and his men and left them for dead."

"And, of course, we believe _everything _that Captain Cold says!" Green Arrow said sarcastically. "We're now taking the word of a criminal over that of the Batman, and even the Gotham City Police Force."

"Gotham City is a cesspool," Wonder Woman stated with disgust.

"That might have been true, at one point in history," Superman said. "But, since the Batman came along--"

"--the city has been under constant siege by a legion of bizarre super villains," Green Lantern interjected, speaking up for the first time. "With each new villain supposedly worse than the one before. I mean, come on, does anybody here seriously believe there's now a new villain called Mr. Freeze who just _happens_ to have the exact same modus operandi as Captain Cold?"

"Exactly," Wonder Woman said with a nod. "It's obvious that the Batman is being protected by the police in Gotham--if not by the whole political machine. Perhaps it really wouldn't be a bad idea for us to move in, take control of the city, and sweep it completely clean."

Superman stared at her, stunned. "I can't believe you just said that…."

"We _are_ the Justice League," Hawkman said. "Is it not our mandate to fight injustice wherever it rears its ugly head?"

"Indeed it is," Hawkgirl agreed.

"To fight injustice, yes," Black Canary responded. "But not to overthrow the duly elected government of a city just because we don't agree with their views! If we did that, meting out our own brand of justice however we see fit, we might as well change our name from the Justice League to the Justice Lords!"

"Hey, why stop at Gotham City?" Green Arrow said, as he waved his arms. "Once we're done with them, maybe we'll pay Pyongyang a visit--and then we'll go work over Tehran, and then maybe we'll even go reform Beijing, just for the hell of it, huh? That sound good to you guys?"

What followed was a moment of silence that, to J'onn, was chilling as Wonder Woman simply nodded. "Yes," she said. "That does sound very good. For how can we call ourselves the Justice League, if we allow injustice to thrive in all parts of the world? We need to consider the--"

"Diana, stop right there," Superman said, as he glared at her with a look that was frightening in its intensity. "This is getting very unpleasant."

"The truth usually is, Superman," she shot back.

"This is the reason why Tony Stark and the others left us," Black Canary said with despair. "This growing arrogance from some of the members here…."

"Tony Stark was an egomaniac who wanted to run the Justice League as he saw fit," Green Lantern said. "When he realized that he couldn't do that, he ran off with a bunch of the other members to form their own little team, and good riddance to them."

"Did they ever actually form their little group?" Wonder Woman asked him. "Did they even come up with a name for it, yet?"

Green Lantern nodded. "Yes, they're calling themselves the Avengers."

"How childish," Hawkgirl muttered. "It will never last…."

"Talk about arrogance," Green Arrow said, as he stared up at the ceiling in irritation.

"Ok, enough," Superman said, as he stood up from the table. "As of right now, this conversation is over. Batman left the group, so we leave him alone. Case closed."

"Don't we usually vote on a decision like this?" Hawkman asked.

"Now who's being arrogant?" Hawkgirl said with a sneer.

"Yes, Superman," Wonder Woman chimed in. She had just the faintest hint of a smile on her face. "Now who's acting like a Justice Lord?"

"I call for a vote on the matter," J'onn quickly said.

Black Canary held up her hand. "Second."

"The motion is put forth stating that since Batman has left the League, we shall leave him alone and consider any outstanding business with him to be closed," J'onn stated. "All those who favor this, please raise your hands."

J'onn raised his hand, along with Superman, Green Arrow, Black Canary--and the Flash.

"All those who oppose this, please raise your hands," J'onn said.

Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Hawks still raised their hands, even though they already knew they were outnumbered.

"It is settled," J'onn said. "Batman shall be left alone."

Wonder Woman shook her head. "Flash, I'm extremely disappointed in you…."

"You were the one who basically started all of this," Hawkman told him.

"And I'm the one who's ending it," Flash replied firmly. "Had I known it was going to get blown up into the mess it's become, I never would have opened my fat mouth. I _never _wanted any of this!"

"So you believe that Batman never harmed Captain Cold?" Green Lantern asked.

"I believe the Gotham City Police Department," Flash responded. "If they say the Batman didn't do it, then their word is good enough for me."

"And so this matter is now officially closed," Superman said. "Agreed?"

"Agreed," Wonder Woman said, as she and the others got up from the table. "For now…."

"Diana, I'd like to speak with you," Superman called out, his tone annoyed. "Alone, please."

J'onn left the room with the others, who quickly scattered in the corridor outside. He couldn't help but notice that Green Lantern left with the Hawks while Green Arrow and Black Canary went their own separate way. The Flash strode over to the window, where he gazed at earth with a concerned expression.

When J'onn went up to him, the Flash said, "J'onn, I might as well tell you, first. I-I'm thinking of quitting the League."

"Why?"

The Flash chuckled humorlessly. "Isn't it obvious? My meddling caused Batman to leave the League, and now we've got a major rift within the League's ruling council. I think I caused enough damage for one lifetime."

"You did what you thought was the right thing all along. You are a decent man, Flash. The fact that this situation got 'blown up' was not your fault." J'onn turned his gaze out the window. "This situation simply ignited long buried feelings that some people had about the Batman. Feelings of distrust and suspicion."

"Yeah, well, the Batman doesn't do much to dispel those feelings."

"Because he does not care what people think of him. All he cares about is fighting the crime and corruption within his city--to the extent where he has even broken laws in order to achieve this goal. He might not be--as you humans say--a very 'orthodox' hero. And it is this very nature of the Batman--his unorthodox methods--that unsettles many people. There are still citizens of Gotham City who are uncertain whether Batman is an angel or a demon. But because he toils in the shadows, without care of receiving any credit for his deeds, this makes him a true hero, nonetheless."

The door to the conference room slid open, and Wonder Woman stormed out. She paused to glance angrily over her shoulder at Superman. "I suppose I should be grateful that we _are_ such good friends, Kal-El. Otherwise, we would be in battle right now."

"Diana," he urgently called after her. "If you continue to force the Batman issue, then we _will_ become the worst of enemies. I swear that I would rather see the League be disbanded than let it do the things that you've proposed."

Wonder Woman seemingly ignored him as she stalked off down the corridor. Superman stared after her in frustration for a moment--and then he glumly walked off in the opposite direction.

"This is all the more reason why the Justice League needs you, Flash," J'onn said. "Because, if we lose people of conscience like you, then this group may very well lose its way, and become the very thing it was created to fight: a force to be feared."

**B&B**

As Bruce rode back to Wayne Manor, after his chat with Lucius, he answered a call on his cell from Olivia. "Yeah, Liv?"

"You hear the news?"

"No, haven't gotten a chance to see any news, yet. Why? What's wrong, now?"

"Nora Fries was abducted from her hospital room earlier today," she told him. "It was done by two guys, dressed as orderlies. They placed her in a laundry cart and just wheeled her right out past the guards."

"Damn," Bruce muttered. When he heard a familiar voice angrily shouting in the background, he asked, "Is that Jim Gordon I hear?"

"Yeah, um, he's ripping a new one in each of the two cops he placed on guard here," Olivia told him. "Looks like they'll be on traffic duty for a while. I'm really glad I'm not them!"

"Obviously, this isn't the work of Mr. Freeze," Bruce said. "If he wanted Nora, he would have come and gotten her himself…by crashing straight through the wall."

"Agreed," Olivia said. "One other thing; your hunch about Allied-Gant paid off. I spoke with Angie earlier, and she confirmed that Larson was getting payments from them long before he retired from Star Labs. Larson bragged about the payments being his retirement. You still need me to keep tracking this down for you? Because it's now a big enough a lead for Gordon to put more detectives on."

"Do whatever you feel is right, Liv," he replied. "I just needed you to confirm my theory, that's all. Thanks. You coming over again tonight?"

"Again?" Olivia said with a laugh. "I mean, sure--I'd love to. But I'm over there so much lately that I'm starting to feel like a mooch."

"Never feel that way, Liv," Bruce told her. "You're always welcome, as is Alex. Besides, Rachel's cooking dinner tonight for you, as a way of thanking you for staying with her last night."

"Aw, that's sweet," Olivia cooed. "Sure, Alex and I will be over later. See you then."

"I assume Olivia and Alex will be spending the night?" Alfred asked from the driver's seat as Bruce ended the call.

"You assume correctly, Alfred," Bruce said, as he brooded over the latest news about Nora Fries. "Do you have any idea what Rachel will be making for us?"

"The kitchen pantry is fully stocked for whatever she has in mind." Alfred gazed at him with concern in the rearview mirror. "I'm sure whatever she makes, it will be very good, Master Bruce. No cause for alarm."

Bruce smiled. "It's not that, Alfred. A major monkey wrench has been thrown into the Mr. Freeze investigation. Nora Fries has been kidnapped from her hospital room by a pair of thugs."

"It would appear that Allied-Gant is striking back at Mr. Freeze," Alfred said grimly.

Bruce shook his head. "I don't know about that, Alfred. I mean, Olivia also confirmed that Walter Larson _was_ on Allied-Gant's payroll, even while he was still the administrator at Star Labs. But kidnapping Fries' wife seems a little extreme for them."

"Not so extreme when you consider they were behind Victor Fries' 'accident' at the lab," Alfred countered.

"I don't think Allied-Gant were directly responsible for that. I think it was Larson himself--perhaps with help from Greene and Watts--who set up Fries to be killed. One thing I've noticed about industrial espionage, Alfred, is that while the company involved may shell out the bucks for the illicit deed, they usually don't like to get their hands dirty."

"What about LexCorp, sir?"

Bruce had to admit that Alfred had a point--to an extent. "True, there are exceptions. But even Luthor was always careful to distance himself from the dirty work. And besides, Allied-Gant isn't LexCorp. I really don't see them grabbing Nora Fries like this. Why tip their hand that they're involved?"

"So the question remains: who did kidnap Nora Fries?"

"Looks like the Batman has his work cut out for him tonight, Alfred."

Alfred flashed a smile in the mirror. "Respectfully, Master Bruce, but Batman has his work cut out for him _every_ time he goes out."

**B&B**

"Ok," Lazlo said, "now _that's_ creepy…."

He and the Penguin had entered the basement storage room where Mr. Freeze had been staying. They found Mr. Freeze, sitting with his back up against the wall and his legs in a cross-legged position. But what had caught them by surprise was the fact that the ice on Mr. Freeze's skin had expanded to the point where it now covered him like a cocoon. They could just barely see the man through the thick layers of ice.

"It's practical," the Penguin said, as he inspected the cocoon. "It protects him while he sleeps."

"But how do we wake him up, boss?" Lazlo asked.

"Very carefully." The Penguin aimed his umbrella at the icy cocoon, and fired a shotgun shell out of the tip. Then he quickly opened the umbrella, making sure it shielded him from the cocoon.

Lazlo wasn't sure why the Penguin did this; the shotgun pellets just barely penetrated the surface of Mr. Freeze's cocoon, there was no way he could have--

--then Lazlo was startled to see large cracks form on the surface of the cocoon, and in that split second, he realized why the Penguin had sought cover behind his umbrella.

Lazlo quickly dived for cover behind a large column of boxes just as the cocoon exploded outwards into a million icy shards. Mr. Freeze stood up as the ice shifted and crackled all over his body, reforming to cover him completely. The ice was now back to being as thin as a second skin for the man, who still looked like a frozen corpse beneath his armor.

Mr. Freeze blew out a chunk of ice that covered his mouth. "What are you doing?"

"Wakey-wakey, Freeze," the Penguin said cheerfully. "I would have used an alarm clock, but I doubted you would have heard it through that thick shell."

"Do you have news about who abducted Nora?"

"I have a suspect," the Penguin said. His cigarette holder shot upwards as he grinned fiendishly. "Would you care to pay him a visit?"

**B&B**

"Hey stranger," Alex said jokingly, as she gave Olivia a kiss and a hug in greeting.

"Hey!" Olivia looked tired but very happy to see her--and as well she should; they hadn't seen each other since last night. "Listen, Alex, I'm sorry again for leaving you in the lurch like that."

"Don't be silly," Alex told her. "I understand that Rachel asked you to stay over last night--and because you are such a kind, gorgeous, sweet-hearted person, you did what you could to comfort her."

"Aw!" Olivia purred, as she gave Alex another hug. "You always know just what to say to melt my heart, honey bunny."

"Did I mention that you were gorgeous?" Alex asked, once they parted.

"All right, don't push it, huh?" Olivia said jokingly. "You know we're going back over there, right?"

"Yes, Liv." Alex nodded. "You called and told me earlier, remember?"

"Right," Olivia muttered with an uncertain expression, as she put on her jacket. "I've called and spoken with so many people today that I've lost track…oh, speaking of which, Gordon asked me to pick up Barbra for him. They found Donald Watts. Gordon said it was fine to take Babs with us to Wayne Manor. I figured you wouldn't mind, right, Alex?"

"I don't mind at all. You know I'm crazy about Babs," Alex replied. She frowned at the way Olivia mentioned something. "You say they 'found' Donald Watts--I take it that's not good news."

"Yeah," Olivia said with a scowl. "They found him dead, hanging from a hook in an abandoned factory over in Iron View. Looks like he met up with Mr. Freeze. Gordon's over there now, with everybody else, working the crime scene."

"Mr. Freeze doesn't waste any time, does he?" Alex said with a shudder, as they strode out of Olivia's office.

"He's hell-bent on revenge," Olivia agreed. When they reached the hallway, she pushed the button for the elevator. "I just wonder if--with Watts dead--this now means Freeze will chill out for a while."

"Oh, God, Liv," Alex moaned, shaking her head, as they got on board the elevator. "'Chill out?' That's bad…."

"Sorry! It wasn't intentional," Olivia insisted. "I've had a long day."

"I'm just kidding," Alex replied, as she tenderly rubbed her arm. "I've missed you…."

"Me too. It's gonna be great to sleep in the same bed with you tonight. Although, I don't know how much sleep we're gonna get…."

"I've packed my teddy," Alex whispered in her ear. "You know the frilly purple one that always drives you wild?"

"Oh, boy," Olivia said with a broad grin. "That settles it; we're not getting _any_ sleep at all tonight!"

Alex cuddled next to her lover, grateful to just be in Olivia's presence again. Last night, she had bad dreams about being a captive of the Penguin; she had found herself caged like an animal, pleading for help into the cold darkness. Yet the only response she heard was the Penguin's disgusting laughter, as he emerged from the shadows and tried to grope at the helpless Alex through the bars of her cage, which grew smaller and more confined by the second.

She woke up in a cold sweat, reaching for Olivia, only to discover with a groan of despair that she was not there. Now, Alex cherished being next to Olivia to the point where she placed her head on Olivia's shoulder as they rode down in the elevator.

Olivia turned and gently lifted Alex's head in her hands until they stood face to face. She stared at Alex with concern. "You ok?"

"No," Alex admitted in a small voice.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened just then, revealing a group of people waiting to get on the elevator. Olivia took Alex's hand and led her off the elevator, though the waiting throng, and into the parking garage.

"Talk to me," Olivia gently said, once they were alone in their car. "What's wrong?"

"I've been having those dreams again," Alex said uneasily. "About being a captive of the Penguin."

"Oh, Alex, honey," Olivia said, as she pulled her lover into a comforting hug. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"I guess it's the fact that he's out there, on the loose, that's got me worried deep down," Alex said, after they broke up from their hug.

"He'd be crazy to come after you again, sweetheart," Olivia told her. "Especially with everybody breathing down his neck like this. With all the surveillance he's under, the Penguin can't make a move without us knowing about it well in advance."

"I realize that, but…."

Olivia gently squeezed Alex's hand in her own. "But what?"

"I'm just afraid, with Mr. Freeze out on his rampage, that the Penguin will drop below the radar," Alex said. "People will forget about him, which is just what he wants."

"Never," Olivia solemnly swore. "Because everybody in this city knows who and what the Penguin is, and they won't let up on him, no matter what. And that little slug will always be on _my_ radar, Alex. He won't get a day's rest from me, even if everybody else gets tired of harassing him. Either way, the Penguin will slip up soon, and be back behind bars before you know it. Ok?"

"Ok," Alex said with a smile. She was always grateful at how Olivia could sum up a bad situation for her, making her realize that it was not as bad as she had originally thought, and make her feel better in the process. "Let's go get Barbra."

"Yeah, let's get that little brat," Olivia said lightly, as she started up the car. "See what she's been up to lately…."

"Where are we picking her up from, school?"

"Karate school."

Alex gave Olivia a double take. "Karate school? Barbra's taking karate?"

"I was just as surprised when Gordon told me," Olivia said, as she shook her head. "Like being a gymnast and a computer expert isn't enough for the kid."

They drove over to Sao Ling's Karate school, a large storefront property over on Tremount Avenue. When she and Olivia entered the karate school, Alex saw a combat exhibition match was being set up between a young woman and three large, burly men.

Alex scanned the karate school students who all sat on the mat, watching the exhibition being set up, but she could not see Barbra anywhere. "Maybe she's getting changed in the locker room?" she asked Olivia.

But Olivia, who stared in shock at the group of people who were assembled in the center of the room, shook her head. "No…there she is…."

Alex glanced over and let out a gasp when she saw that the young woman whom she saw getting ready for the combat exhibition _was_ Barbra Gordon. Barefoot, she wore the traditional white karate outfit and had her red hair pulled back into a pony tail as she stood and respectfully bowed with the three men at a fourth man--an elderly Japanese gentleman who was the master teacher of the school.

The elderly karate master returned their bow, and then gave them a command in Japanese.

The three burly men all assumed combat stances as they faced Barbra, who stood alone in the center.

Alex's eyes grew wide with horror behind her glasses when she realized what was about to happen: the three thugs were going to attack Barbra.

"Hold on here," she called out--but was stunned when Olivia grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?"

"Just wait," Olivia told her.

"Wait?!" Alex said with shock. "Olivia, they're about to perform child abuse, here, and you want me to--"

Olivia pointed. "Alex, look!"

Alex was stunned as the three men attacked the petite Barbra all at once--and she fought them off. She ducked out of the way of one man, then stomped her foot into the back of his knee, which caused him to collapse to the mat. But before he fell, Barbra whirled around and delivered a kick to the stomach of a second man, who folded right then and there. When she tried to kick the third man, he grabbed her foot. Barbra then abruptly stepped up and used the unwitting man's hand to perform a flawless backflip back onto the mat. The last man attacked again, and Barbra fell on her back, stuck her feet into his gut, and used his own momentum to propel him right over her.

Then she jumped up and assumed an attack stance--but there was nobody left to fight; her opponents all lay on the mat around her.

And it was all over within mere seconds.

"Good Christ," Olivia said with an awed whisper.

Alex watched as the elderly karate master went up and congratulated Barbra. He also gave her some further tips as her former attackers all gingerly got up and hobbled off the mat. When Barbra saw Alex and Olivia, a huge smile spread across her face as she excitedly waved at them.

After the karate master dismissed the class, the students all got up and went their various ways--with most of them headed for the locker rooms to change into their street clothes. Barbra came over and gave each Alex and Olivia a big hug.

"Did you hear?" Olivia said to her. "We've all been invited over to Wayne Manor tonight."

Barbra hopped up and down as she let out a little squeal of joy. "As if hanging out with you guys isn't fun enough! Wait here, I'll be right back. I just gotta go get changed."

The karate master walked up to Alex and Olivia and said, "She one of my best students! I very proud of Barbra!"

"Yes, you've done a great job with her," Alex politely told him.

He shook his head. "How good a student is depends on how much they want to learn. And Barbra wanted to learn very much!"

Once he left them alone, Alex shook her head in disbelief. "Where the hell did _this_ come from?" she asked Olivia. "I mean, Barbra becoming the next karate champion? Who saw _that_ coming?"

When Olivia just gave her a knowing smile, Alex frowned. "What is it?"

Olivia leaned in close and whispered, "Why do I have the sinking feeling that we haven't seen the last of Batgirl?"

Before Alex could answer, Olivia pulled out her cell phone, which had started ringing. "It's Munch!" Olivia said with surprise, as she read the ID on the screen. "Hey, John, what's up? Uh--what? You're here? Right now? Um, yeah, sure, ok. Right…yeah, I know where that is. All right--yes, John, don't worry; I'll be there."

When she ended the call, Olivia shook her head. "That was weird."

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"John Munch is here, in Gotham City," Olivia said, "and he wants to meet with me right now. He says it's a matter of life and death."

**B&B**

Joey Duggan nodded with satisfaction as he watched the truck pull into the warehouse. The truck, which was a squat vehicle known as a straight job, was loaded with Blu-ray players and other electronic goodies that managed to 'fall off the truck' as it were.

"Ok, let's get that sucker unloaded," he called down to his men. "The sooner this stuff hits the streets, the sooner we make money."

Vinnie and Carnie, his lieutenants, quickly picked up the reigns from Joey and kept after the workers to unload the truck as soon as possible. This was the time when they were the most vulnerable, offloading stolen goods from the truck. But then, there really wasn't anything for Joey to worry about, since he owned this warehouse--after killing the previous owner, who tried to cheat him on a deal.

Joey had men on the roof, as well as a security force surrounding the warehouse. They wouldn't be able to stop the cops if they tried to raid the place, but there wouldn't be any need to. Joey and his men would receive plenty of advance warning in time to dump the stolen goods through a trapdoor that he had installed in the floor--a trapdoor which would dump the incriminating evidence right into the river below them.

Joey smiled. He didn't become the latest in a new generation of up and coming mobsters in Gotham City just by relying on his good looks. And pretty soon, once he'd carefully eliminated the competition, Joey would become the new Boss Thorne in this town.

"Boss Duggan," he said quietly. He liked the way that sounded. It wouldn't be too long, now, before he took over completely. All he had to do was kill--

Joey Duggan's plans for conquest of the criminal underworld were interrupted when something smashed its way through the very trapdoor that he had installed for emergencies.

'But that was crazy,' Joey thought, as he watched the wood boards of the trapdoor explode into millions of splinters. 'There's nothing below us but water. What the hell could be coming up through the--?'

Joey was stunned to see a man emerge from the gaping hole where the trapdoor once was. The dude looked like he was seven feet tall, and covered completely in what appeared to be ice. All of Joey's men stood and stared at him fearfully.

A chunk of ice fell from the iceman's mouth, and he said, "I want Joseph Duggan. Now."

"Well, you ain't getting him, Frosty!" Carnie shouted, as both he and Vinnie pulled out their Glocks and set them on auto. They emptied their clips into the iceman, who merely glared back at them.

'Sweet Jesus,' Joey thought, as he beat a retreat into his office. This was Mr. Freeze; Joey heard about him beating Batman on the news. 'But I thought he was on some personal revenge kick--what the hell's he doing coming after me? Unless he thinks I did something to him….'

He picked up the phone and called the security office. "Get in the warehouse," he ordered. "Double time! We're under attack!"

Joey did a double take when he saw a man fly straight through the windows of his office, shattering them. It was Vinnie. His crumpled body lay on the floor, dead. Joey pulled out the .44 Magnum just as Mr. Freeze strode up to him.

Joey managed to fire a shot point blank into Mr. Freeze's chest--what little good it did him. Freeze just ignored it like a mosquito bite as he reached out and hauled Joey up by the neck. The vise-like grip the iceman had on his neck made Joey drop the gun.

The ice snapped and fell from his mouth as Mr. Freeze leaned in close to Joey's face. "Where is Nora?"

"Who?" Joey asked, as he stared at the creature with a mixture of terror and confusion.

**B&B**

"Wow, somebody sure wanted this guy dead, huh?" Jordan Cavanaugh said, as she inspected the hanging body of Donald Watts. "Ran straight through the torso with a sharp object--that would take considerable strength."

"Was it done by Mr. Freeze?" Gordon asked. "The way the body's been arranged isn't his usual M.O."

"No, he's more of a compulsive, hit and run type," Montoya said.

"He just a plain maniac," Bullock added. "He wouldn't have even bothered to string the guy up, first."

Gordon noted that, while Harvey spoke, he stared with pure lust at the pretty Cavanaugh--even Montoya noticed, and she shook her head at this in disgust.

As Medical Examiner Cavanaugh slowly circled the ground beneath the hanging body, her eyes staring intently at the floor, she casually said, "Detective Bullock? I do hope you're not mentally undressing me again. That's really getting old."

"Huh?" Harvey said, looking stunned. His face turned beet red with embarrassment. "What? I never--"

"Bingo," Cavanaugh said with a smile, as she pointed out little pieces of bloody ice on the floor. "See that, Commisioner Gordon? That's what's left of the tip of the icicle that impaled Watts."

"So Watts _was_ impaled by Freeze?" he asked.

"I'd stake my pension on it," she replied. Cavanaugh waved to her team. "Ok, they're done taking pictures. Let's get him down, now. There may still be shards of unmelted ice in the wound. Also, I need a cooler for the pieces of ice on the floor, pronto!"

While Cavanaugh and her team worked on the forensics angle of the death of Donald Watts, Gordon puzzled over the overall crime scene. The kill was pure Mr. Freeze, but who hung the body up like this? It made Gordon uneasy. The whole scene looked as if it were set up for Freeze to make the kill.

Montoya pulled out her police dispatch radio--and then her eyes went wide with alarm.

"What is it, Renee?" Gordon asked.

"It's Mr. Freeze, sir," she replied. "They're saying he just struck again."

"Who's left?!" Bullock said, as he gestured at the dead Watts.

"Mr. Freeze attacked a warehouse that's owned by Joey Duggan," Montoya told them.

"Joey Duggan?" Gordon muttered, as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Maybe Freeze is hiring himself out as a contract killer?" Montoya asked.

"It'd be easy to pay him," Cavanuagh chimed in, with a slight smile. "Just pay him in ice…you know, diamonds?"

Gordon just gave her an annoyed look as he turned to leave with Bullock and Montoya. "Let's get over there now."

"Uh…sorry," Cavanaugh sheepishly called after them.

**B&B**

Batman and Robin had just entered Gotham City limits in the Tumbler when they got the police dispatch call about the attack on Joey Duggan by Mr. Freeze.

"Does Freeze think Duggan's responsible for his accident?" Robin asked skeptically.

"Perhaps he was led to think so," Batman said thoughtfully.

Robin stared at him. "What do you mean?"

Batman slowed the Tumbler and then pulled the big beast into a tight, 180 degree turn. "Think about it, Robin. Mr. Freeze launches an attack on a local gangster the very same day that his wife is abducted from her hospital room? What does that tell you?"

Robin nodded when it hit him. "Somebody's using Nora to get Freeze to do their dirty work for them. But where are we going? Duggan's warehouse is in the opposite direction."

"I know just the person who could be this insidious," Batman said. "That's who we're seeing right now. If we can rescue Nora Fries, we may be able to end Mr. Freeze's new career as a mob hit man before it can escalate any further."

**B&B**

Olivia paused when she saw the gazebo that John had mentioned. It stood in the center of Gotham's Grand Park. She saw a man stood in the center of the gazebo, which was darkened, thanks to the approach of night. The man walked to the edge of the gazebo and went halfway down the steps. He waved at her, and in the dimness of the nearby lights, Olivia was relieved to see that it was Munch.

When she heard a sound behind her, Olivia turned to see Alex and Barbra both standing there, guiltily waving at her.

Olivia rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I thought I told you two to wait in the car?!"

"She wanted to make sure you were all right," Barbra said, gesturing at Alex.

"And I wanted her to come along because I needed a bodyguard," Alex said, gesturing at Barbra.

"Alex!" Olivia said, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Well, I'm sorry if I'm not the heroic type," Alex shot back. "Ok?! I mean, after all, what can _I_ do if a super villain shows up, hit them with my purse?!"

"Olivia!" Munch called. "It's ok! Bring them along, too. They need to hear this as well."

With a sigh, Olivia gestured at Alex and Barbra. "C'mon."

"What exactly do we need to hear?" Alex nervously asked, as the three of them walked towards Munch and the gazebo.

"That's what we're here to find out," Olivia told her. She glanced up at Munch--who still wore his customary shades, even at night--and said, "Hey, John, I was just wondering if you could be any more mysterious than you already are."

"Sorry about calling you at the last minute like this," he said, as they all stepped into the gazebo. "But, with the way the situation has been unfolding, we figured it was best to contact you as soon as possible."

"What situation?" Olivia asked.

Munch stared at her. "Liv, do you trust me?"

"Yes, I do, John. I trusted you enough to drop whatever it was I was doing and come straight here, didn't I?"

"If you trust me," Munch said solemnly, "then believe me when I say that you can trust him, as well."

Another man suddenly strode towards them. He was clad in a suit and overcoat, and wore a fedora. When he raised his head, Olivia saw that he had no face under the hat.

"Oh, God," Alex cried, as she pointed at the man. "I knew it! Super villain!"

Barbara instinctively assumed a combat stance towards the strange man until Olivia gently reached out and tapped her on the shoulder. "It's ok," she calmly said. "This is The Question. He's a good guy."

"You know him?" Munch said, looking surprised.

"Inspector Benson and I have already met," The Question said. "Up on the Justice League satellite, during the very first official meeting--back in the days of wine and roses. Before the darkness fell."

"How do _you_ know him?" Alex asked Munch.

"We met online, in a conspiracy theory chat room," Munch replied. "Although I didn't know who he was at first. It wasn't until very recently, when this crisis came up, that he revealed who he was to me--well, at least he's revealed the fact that he's The Question. I still don't know _who_ he is, really."

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out," The Question said, wagging a finger at them.

"What's going on?" Olivia asked. "What crisis are you talking about?"

"Gotham City is about to be invaded," The Question told her. "By the Justice League."

"No, that's crazy," Olivia instantly said.

"Is it?" The Question asked. "Thanks to the Captain Cold issue, the League is presently broken up into two major factions. One is led by Wonder Woman, who would very much like to invade Gotham City and get the Batman, while the other is led by Superman. The Man Of Steel feels that, since Batman quit the League, the case is closed. The League's ruling council just recently voted on the matter--after a contentious meeting--and Wonder Woman and her supporters lost by just one vote."

"So you're saying it's really the Batman who Wonder Woman is after," Alex said.

The Question shook his head. "On several different occasions, Wonder Woman stated that it would be a good thing if the 'corrupt political machine' in Gotham City were to be swept away by them--by the League. So it's more than just the Batman at stake here. It's Gotham City itself."

"When the GCPD exonerated Batman in the Captain Cold assault, Wonder Woman and her supporters didn't believe it," Munch said. "They think you're a corrupt regime who's supporting the Dark Knight, who they see as being equally corrupt."

"But Wonder Woman and her supporters are in the minority," Olivia said. "You say she's even been outvoted on the issue. How much of a threat can she be?"

"Take my word for it, Wonder Woman is very determined, and she's used to getting her way," The Question said. "And, just because they voted on the issue doesn't mean it's going anyway anytime soon. Superman may yet prevail, but Wonder Woman is quietly gaining support among the remaining membership of the League--those heroes who didn't leave in the mass exodus led by Iron Man."

"This is a woman who literally dresses herself in the colors of the American flag," Munch said with disgust. "While Batman is this dark and shadowy figure with a nasty attitude. Looking at this debate strictly on the surface, without knowing anything personal about the two of them, who would _you_ assume is right?"

"There's a good chance that Superman and his supporters may lose control of the League," The Question added. "And if that happens, Wonder Woman won't hesitate to lead it in an attack on Gotham City."

"You're wrong!" Barbra blurted out. "I mean, even if it were to get to the point where the League invades Gotham City--which I doubt would ever happen…but even if it got _that_ far, the United States government would never stand for an invasion of one of its cities!"

"My dear Miss Gordon," The Question said, "for the longest time, the United States has been the only superpower in the world, the only 800 pound gorilla, beating its chest and always getting its way in all matters. And along comes the Justice League--and with their formation, virtually overnight, the U.S. becomes just another second rate power. And so the United States government would actually welcome an invasion of Gotham City by the League--because that would give them the excuse they need to finally go to war with them."

"Dear God," Alex said softly. "This is like a nightmare…."

Olivia stared hard at the blank face of The Question. "Why tell us all of this?"

"Mainly, to warn you," he replied. "You're Batman's Buddy, after all. And who better to get a message to the Dark Knight than you? And also, Wonder Woman's views still aren't very popular with a lot of people. So if you should choose to stand and fight--you need to know that you won't be alone. There will be others, such as me, who shall stand by your side."

"Thanks," Olivia said. And then she chuckled softly.

Alex shot her a puzzled look. "What is it, Liv?"

Olivia just wearily shook her head as she affectionately draped her arms over the shoulders of both Alex and Barbra and drew them in close. "It just occurred to me that there's never a dull moment in this frigging city, is there?"

**B&B**

Batman watched as Robin took out the thug guarding the door. He was pleased to see Robin took him down with only two punches. 'The kid's vastly improving,' he thought with satisfaction. 'Soon he'll be just as good as me, if not better.'

Once the guard on the outer door was down, Batman swept in and attacked the second guard who was inside the antechamber, a bald man with a goatee. He let out a "URK!" sound as Batman slugged him across the face. He fell to the floor and stayed there.

Robin nodded at him as they crept up to the door leading to the office. Batman flung the doors wide and he and Robin braced themselves for another attack from more thugs within. But no attack came.

All that emerged from the office was the distinctive laughter of the Penguin.

"Waugh! Waugh! Waugh! Come in, Batman!" the Penguin said, as he sat behind his massive desk. "Please, do come in! It's been a while since we've last seen each other. How have you been?"

After a careful visual sweep of the room--which confirmed that the Penguin was alone--Batman strode in, grabbed the Penguin by the lapels, and hauled him up out of his chair. "WHERE IS SHE?!"

"Where is who?" the Penguin asked innocently.

"YOU KNOW WHO THE _HELL_ I MEAN," Batman roared at him. "WHERE IS NORA FRIES?!"

"Why? Is she missing?" the Penguin said. "Poor woman…isn't she the one in a coma?"

"Nora Fries is kidnapped, and on the very same day, Mr. Freeze starts taking down your opposition in the criminal underworld?" Robin said. "Come on, Penguin, just make it easy on yourself."

"And who is this?" the Penguin asked, as he stared at Robin. "Finally got yourself somebody to play 'good cop' for you, Batman? A word of advice: if you're going to use a straight man in your act, you should come up with better jokes."

Batman let out a growl as he hauled the Penuin over to the window and held him head and shoulders over the windowsill. "Either you start talking, or--"

"Or what, Batman?" the Penguin asked, with a broad grin. "We've danced together so many times by now that I know full well the things you're capable of, and throwing me out this window isn't one of them."

'He knows me too well,' Batman realized. 'Damn him….'

"Batman," Robin urgently called. "We've got cops coming. And Gordon isn't with them."

"Must be the surveillance team," the Penguin said. "They keep an eye on me twenty four-seven--or at least they _think _they do."

The little bastard was actually taunting him. "I know you're behind this," Batman told the Penguin. "I _will_ find Nora Fries. And when I do, you'd better hope I find her alive--or else I'm coming back here to get you. And then you'll wish I _had_ thrown you out the window!"

He released the Penguin and began to leave with Robin.

"A pleasure chatting with you, Batman, as always," the Penguin gaily called after him.

Batman paused at the doorway. "This isn't over by a long shot. No matter where you hide, I will find you, Penguin!"

The Penguin merely smiled at him. "Not unless Mr. Freeze finds you, first, Batman. Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

As Batman and Robin quickly left the club--just avoiding the police assault by seconds--the Penguin's sneering laughter seemed to follow them into the night.

**To Be Continued....**


	6. Chapter 6

_My thanks to Michael Weyer, RebelByrdie, D.J. Scales and Zarathustra1030 for their reviews. Your feedback is much appreciated, as always._

**Batman & Benson**

**Chapter Six**

Batman glared at the nightclub like a predator carefully watching its prey. He had been hunched down on the roof of the building just across the alley for the past few hours, now. When he and Robin left the Penguin's abode, they didn't go very far. Robin was on the roof of the building across from him, keeping watch on the front of the nightclub. They had kept in touch via their radio earplugs--but so far, all was quiet.

After Batman and Robin had left the still-laughing Penguin in his office, the comment that the Penguin made--"Must be the surveillance team. They keep an eye on me twenty four-seven--or at least they _think _they do"--still reverberated in Batman's head. He knew that the Penguin merely said it as a taunt, but by bragging like this, he had unwittingly tipped his hand.

Batman figured that there must be a secret method by how the Penguin came and went from his nightclub--yet after several hours of careful observation, the Penguin wasn't sighted leaving the place, and nor could they pick up any clue as to where a secret escape route could be--it could very well be out of sight by being underground. Despite this set back, Batman had decided to extend the stake out in the hopes of catching Mr. Freeze returning from his hit on Joey Duggan.

'Perhaps Mr. Freeze was using the same escape route the Penguin did,' Batman realized. 'Either that, or he wasn't coming here at all. The Penguin could be keeping him stashed someplace else, which made sense. In any event, it's looking more and more like this evening's a bust.'

His earplug communicator beeped lightly, and Alfred's voice could be heard. "Sir, sorry to disturb you while you're working, but Olivia, Alex and Barbra are here, and they have a story to tell that you really need to hear."

"Is it urgent?" Batman asked.

"Yes, it's most urgent sir," Alfred said. "Their story is also rather terrifying."

That was all it took for Batman. "Very well, we're heading back now."

"Very good, sir."

Batman gently tapped the section of his cowl over his ear and said, "Hear that, Robin?"

"Yeah," came the grim reply. "Doesn't sound too good, whatever it is."

"Let's wrap this up and go find out for ourselves, shall we?"

"You got it. Meet you at the Tumbler. Uh, hold on, Batman--you see the sky?"

Batman glanced up and saw the Bat-Signal was alit from the roof of police headquarters. "Looks like we'll be making a little stop, first, before heading home, Robin."

As they drove over to police headquarters, Batman noted there was slightly more traffic on the streets than usual for this time of night. And, on one street, he saw a family packing up their vehicle with various suitcases and boxes, all calmly getting ready to move in the middle of the night. Robin, who also saw them, jokingly said, "Are these guys dodging the rent?"

"They're leaving town in a hurry," Batman said, as he turned on the radio in the Tumbler to an all-news station. He and Robin listened as the news announcer spoke of the President's speech, given earlier that evening, in which he assured the citizens of the United States that the U.S. would not tolerate an invasion of any one of its cities.

"Such brute force would be met with equal and deadly force by the United States military," the President told the nation in a sound bite from his speech. "It is our hope that any group seeking to do us harm would consider this before they attack."

As they drove by another family who were making a hasty retreat in the middle of the night, Batman noted that the President was careful to never mention the Justice League by name--just as he never mentioned Gotham City by name, either. Yet it was very clear that he spoke of this current situation in his speech. Now the crowded streets, and the fleeing families made sense; despite the efforts by the powers that be to quell any hysteria, panic was already beginning to take over Gotham City.

"You really think the League would attack Gotham City?" Robin asked.

"I hope not," Batman said, as he pulled into in an alley next to police headquarters and parked the Tumbler. "The result would be devastating; both for Gotham City, as well as for meta-humans the world over. A great deal of hard-won trust would be lost."

"I guess it's a good thing we're not meta-humans, huh?" Robin asked, grinning.

As he opened the roof of the Tumbler and shot a grapple line skywards, Batman smiled slightly in spite of himself. "You actually have a point there, Robin. No matter what happens, we'll get through it."

When he arrived on the roof of police headquarters, Batman found Gordon looking worried as he stood by the massive spotlight with the bat insignia in the center.

"The Penguin is behind the shift in Mr. Freeze's tactics," Batman said, as he strode out of the shadows. "He was the one who abducted Nora Fries."

"I heard you visited him earlier tonight," Gordon replied.

"We had words," Batman said curtly.

"You also held him out the window," Gordon told him wearily. "Thanks to some eager-beaver rookie on the surveillance team, we've now got footage showing you threatening the Penguin officially logged in as evidence. Because of this, the Penguin is talking about pressing charges against you for assault."

"He can try. But if he thinks this will make me back down, Jim, he's wrong. The Penguin is making a play for becoming the next Boss Thorne, and he's using Mr. Freeze to do it. I'm not about to back down now."

"I know, Batman. But I've got to warn you that the mayor recently had a phone call from the governor," Gordon said uneasily. "In essence, Garcia was told that Gotham City needed to 'clean up its act' pretty quickly or else we're gonna have it cleaned up for us."

"Did he say by who?"

"No. But with the President on TV, making veiled threats against an attack on our cities, the pressure on the mayor is at an all-time high. Garcia's a good man, but even good men can crack under too much pressure."

"Meaning what, exactly, Jim?"

"Meaning, the police may just have to start hunting you, Batman, especially when footage of you attacking the Penguin gets out in the media--once he officially files charges against you. I won't like it one bit, and I've already informed the mayor of my feelings--but given the situation we find ourselves in, I won't have much choice. It's been made clear to me that I'll be expected to either follow orders, or be replaced."

"No matter what happens, follow orders, Jim," Batman told him. "Do whatever you have to. Don't lose your job because of me."

Gordon nodded. "I knew you'd understand. And listen, if the worst case scenario plays out, and you do become a wanted man, I won't be calling you anymore on the Bat-Signal. If you need to speak with me, come directly to my office--just ignore the Bat-Signal from now on."

"Just in case somebody with a warrant for my arrest tries to catch me the easy way by lighting it up," Batman said. "I understand. If you need anything from me, you can contact me with a discreet message to Olivia."

"Of course, this is all assuming that Gotham City will still be left standing within the next few days." Gordon dismally shook his head. "You know, I was just a toddler during the Cuban Missile Crisis, so I really don't remember it--but seeing this mess develop, between us and the League, I've now got a very good feeling of what my parents must have went through back then."

"It may never come to that, Jim."

"Yeah, I figure that, too. But all the same, I'm grateful that my wife is already out of town, spending time with her mother. Olivia and Alex took Barbra over to Wayne Manor tonight, and I just called her there. I told Babs to take the rest of the week off from school and to stay there until this mess blows over. You might want to steer clear of town for a few days, too."

"Thanks for the advice, Jim, but no can do," Batman replied. "Boss Thorne was bad enough as the head of Gotham City's underworld. But the Penguin will be even worse. And, knowing him, he will use this crisis to his advantage, hoping people will be too busy to notice while he uses Mr. Freeze to help him kill his way to the top. No, I can't just sit back and let that happen."

Gordon stared at him, deeply moved. "You still think--after all this--that Gotham City is still worth fighting for?"

"The people of Gotham City are _always_ worth fighting for, Jim," Batman said. "Ras Al Ghul tried once to destroy this city, and we worked together to stop him, remember? If we continue to work together, we can also avert this latest crisis."

"You got it," Gordon said, as he shook Batman's hand. "And, for what it's worth, I couldn't have asked for a better partner to help me get through this nightmare than you."

"Same here, Jim."

When he returned to the Tumbler, Robin told him that Alfred had called back again, anxiously asking where they were. "Told him we got sidetracked by Gordon's call," Robin said.

"This will be the last time we'll be answering the Bat-Signal for a while," Batman told him, as he drove the Tumbler home.

When Batman explained the situation that Gordon had laid out for him, Robin looked shocked. "So on top of everything else, along with the possibility that Gotham City might be ravaged by being turned into a war zone when the League invades, as well as fighting the Penguin and Mr. Freeze, we may also become fugitives from the law?" Robin said. "Got any good news?"

"You can take the next week off from school," Batman said.

Robin gave him a double take. "Did you just make a joke? Did I just hear you correctly? Batman just made a joke? If only I had a video camera, I could have recorded it!"

"Just what I need in my life right now," Batman grumbled. "Being recorded by more damn surveillance cameras…."

**B&B**

"Look at it, Lazlo," the Penguin said, as he gestured at the TV screen. "Pure chaos. Ain't it a lovely sight to behold? Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

As Lazlo watched the growing panic in the streets of Gotham City on the news clip, he rubbed his chin--it was still sore from when Batman had slugged him. "Maybe we should be joining them, Penguin? If this invasion is anything what they're saying it might be, there'll be nothing left of the city."

"It will never get to that point, Lazlo, my good man. When I formally file charges for assault against the Batman tomorrow--thanks to my bought stooge within the surveillance team, who saved the incriminating video footage--the focus of all this hubris shall land firmly on the Bat's shoulders. Soon, the good people of Gotham will be screaming for the Dark Knight to be handed over to either the Justice League, or to the police. Now is not the time to leave, Lazlo, now is the time to seize what is rightfully ours!"

"There's still Tommy Cho and Petrov left to deal with," Lazlo warned him.

"Leave them for the walking popsicle," the Penguin said. When a light blinked on his desk--which indicated that a door in the secret underground tunnel had been opened and closed--he joyfully clasped his hands together. "Speak of the cold-hearted devil, he's back!"

"About time," Lazlo said, as he glanced at his watch. "He attacked Duggan hours ago. Wonder what kept him."

"Perhaps he stopped for a snow-cone," the Penguin replied, as he and Lazlo left his office. "Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

They were both in for a shock when they descended the stairs from Penguin's office. Instead of staying in the basement storage area, Mr. Freeze had come up to the nightclub itself. He had a body slung over his shoulder, which he dumped on the floor in the middle of the club.

Penguin was grateful that the club was closed to patrons tonight. But having Mr. Freeze up here was still dangerous, for he could still be spotted by one of his nightclub employees. The fact that Freeze had dumped the dead body of Joey Duggan on his nice, shiny floor also made matters even more complicated.

"I tried to make him tell me where Nora was," Mr. Freeze said, as he glared at the mangled body. "But he denied even knowing who she was to his dying breath."

"It's an insidious plot!" the Penguin cried. "One that has been hatched by not just Joey, but by Tommy Cho and Martin Petrov. We just discovered this now!"

"And who are _they_?" Mr. Freeze asked. "The next targets on your hit list?"

The Penguin was stunned when Freeze abruptly belted Lazlo, knocking him out cold on the floor. Then the iceman then reached out and hauled the Penguin up by his lapels--which, after being grabbed by the Batman earlier tonight, were now starting to tear.

"I don't believe you," Mr. Freeze told him, and his deathly solemn tone of voice was terrorizing to hear. "You are using me, as well as Nora, to climb your way to the top of the underworld over the bodies of the men whom I've killed. Why should I believe _anything_ you say?"

'No fear--show him no fear,' the Penguin thought, as he steeled himself. "Am I taking advantage of you? Am I happy that you're killing off my main rivals? Of course I am! But am I _lying_ to you? Never! I've told you that by kidnapping your beloved Nora, these scum were tarnishing the old adage, 'honor among thieves.' And by eliminating them, and saving Nora, we're also restoring that honor! Do you think I _want_ the cops to be breathing down my neck any more than they already are?! We're both getting something from this situation, my boy: you get to be united with your wife, and the police leave me alone to do my business."

Mr. Freeze lowered him to the floor. Yet his expression was still suspicious. "Do you know for a fact that Cho and Petrov were involved in Nora's abduction?"

"Yes, I do," the Penguin insisted. "I don't know which one of them has her. But I do know that, if you bring them both to me, alive, I can get that information for you. I have ways of making people talk, you see. Just bring Cho and Petrov here for me, and I'll find out where Nora is for you, Freeze."

"Very well," Freeze said, after a moment. "I shall rest now, but when I awake, I'll get them for you."

The Penguin nodded rigorously at him. "Yes! Yes, go take a well-deserved break! We'll both start fresh tomorrow."

Mr. Freeze began to walk towards the basement door, until he paused. "I must warn you, Penguin, if I do not find Nora alive at the end of all of this, then you and all of your people shall join her in death's cold embrace. For if I find that Nora was murdered by mobsters, then I shall not rest until every last mobster in Gotham City is dead."

The Penguin watched as he strode off. When Freeze was gone, Lazlo finally woke up, rubbing his chin with a groan. "What happened, Penguin?" he asked in a daze.

"Our pet snowman is working himself loose from our leash," the Penguin said quietly. "Did you order the special equipment, pray tell?"

Lazlo nodded, as he wearily got to his feet. "It should be here tomorrow."

"Excellent," the Penguin said. "Very good, Lazlo."

As Lazlo left, he gestured at Joey Duggan's body. "I'll see about getting rid of that right away."

"That's my boy, Lazlo," the Penguin called after him. "Always thinking of all the angles."

The Penguin waddled over to Joey Duggan's body and stared right into his dead eyes. "Hello, Joey! I seem to recall you once saying something to the effect that I will only become the new underworld boss over your dead body, hmmm?"

He then viciously kicked the body several times in the side. "Looks like you were right, eh, Joey? Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

However, the Peguin was so busy taking pleasure gloating at his dead rival that he never noticed the shaking curtain behind him--nor did he see the terrified pair of eyes just behind a slit in the curtain; a pair of terrified eyes that witnessed this ghoulish scene.

**B&B**

"I just wanted to retract my earlier statements," the Flash said on the television. He held his hands up to quiet the shouting reporters who were assembled before him on the steps of city hall in Central City. "Regarding what I said about the Batman--and the Gotham City police force--I would just like to apologize. My earlier comments were said in anger, and they were wrong. They were also taken wildly out of context by many people. I never called for an invasion of Gotham City."

"Does this mean you believe the Gotham City police when they claim that Captain Cold is lying when he retracted _his_ earlier statement?" a female reporter asked.

"Yes, I do," the Flash said. "Listen, I've dealt with Captain Cold many times. I know him very well, and I can tell you that you can not believe a word that he says. He's always been a consummate liar who is no doubt enjoying the mayhem in the media that he's stirred up from his hospital bed."

"Well," Rachel said hopefully, as she watched the news broadcast, "looks like this crisis might be over."

Bruce sat back in the chair and let out a heavy sigh. He sat with the others at a table in a cozy little alcove by the kitchen in Wayne Manor. Rachel sat next to him, Dick on his other side. Across from Bruce sat Olivia, Alex and Barbra. Alfred sat nearby on a stool. Rachel's smile faded when she glanced around at all the grim faces.

"Am I correct in assuming that it _is _over?" she warily asked.

"I wish I could say that were the case," Bruce told her. "Having the Flash come out and say these things is a big help--but, from what Liv, Alex and Barbra just told us, once Wonder Woman seizes control of the League, she may still invade regardless."

"I'm sorry, Bruce," Olivia said. "I just wish we had better news for you."

"You actually gave me some good news," he replied. "You told me the Question and several others would come to our aid, if it ever got to that point."

Alfred shook his head. "I can't imagine the League doing something so preposterous. Why haven't cooler heads prevailed by now?"

"Because Wonder Woman is still fanning the flames," Alex said.

"Wonder Woman's based in Washington D.C., right?" Bruce abruptly asked everyone at the table.

"Yeah, last I heard," Olivia replied. Then her eyes narrowed. "Oh no, you don't…."

Bruce stared at her. "What?"

Olivia pointed a finger at him. "I know you, Bruce. You're planning on meeting with Wonder Woman, aren't you?"

"If that's what it will take to defuse this situation," Bruce said. "Then yes, I _will_ meet with Wonder Woman. She's all but calling me out, Liv."

"But you're forgetting something," Alex told him. "Wonder Woman was outvoted within the League. If she continues to press this issue, she becomes a renegade. Let the Justice League handle her."

"But what if she takes over the League?" Dick asked.

"She hasn't yet," Olivia said. "Look, Munch and The Question basically told us that she's painting you as the villain here, Bruce. And if you push for a confrontation with her, you may be giving Wonder Woman exactly what she wants right now."

"But if she takes over the League, and leads them in an attack on Gotham City, then it won't really matter," Dick said, as he settled back in his chair. "We'll still have to face her. So we might as well taker her on now."

Olivia began to shake her head in disagreement. Yet it was Bruce who spoke. "No, they're absolutely right. Remember what I said to you back in the Tumbler, Dick? About how much hard-won trust would be lost in the meta-human community if the League attacked Gotham? As long as Wonder Woman doesn't have control of the League, there's still a good chance this crisis might be brought under control."

"So we do nothing?" Dick asked.

"It's frustrating, I know," Bruce acknowledged. "But we need to let other people try and handle this situation with the League for now."

"They reported earlier that Superman has visited the President at the White House," Alfred interjected. "Between that news, and now seeing the Flash retracting his earlier statement, it does indeed look as if plenty of people are working very hard to defuse this crisis."

"And we need to give them that chance," Bruce added. "Without messing things up for them by going out looking for a fight. Besides, Dick, we won't exactly be sitting around, twiddling our thumbs. There's still the Penguin and Mr. Freeze for us to deal with."

"Yeah," Rachel said with a scowl. "Only now, you may find yourself dodging the cops while you fight the Penguin."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Bruce told her.

"The Penguin, that little slime bag," Olivia said with disgust. "He wouldn't really press charges against Batman, would he?"

"He would," Rachel replied. "When he was in jail, the Penguin kept suing for every little thing he could think of. His cell was too narrow; it was too dark; it was too bright. Using the courts like this is just another weapon at his disposal." She shook her head. "I'm just dreading the moment when the formal charges against the Batman come across my desk."

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Jim Gordon," Bruce said. "If you do find yourself having to deal with this case, then just do your job."  
"I will," Rachel glumly said. "But I won't like it."

"I know, and I appreciate your feelings. But I won't have you losing your job over the Batman."

"Not to mention the fact that you and Jim are the biggest allies the Batman's got," Olivia told Rachel. "Even if the Batman becomes a fugitive because of the Penguin's filing charges, you're in a position to still make life easier for him."

"And, as I also told Jim earlier, if the Penguin thinks this will stop me, he's wrong," Bruce said firmly. "We need to find out where he's got Nora Fries, and quickly--if for no other reason than to get her back in the proper medical care that she needs."

"So where do we begin to look?" Dick asked.

"Since Penguin has Freeze targeting his rivals in the mob world, we can keep a close eye on Martin Petrov and Tommy Cho," Bruce replied. "They've been the biggest thorns in the Penguin's side, and are most likely to be next on the hit list."

Barbra, who had silently sat in her chair with her knees pulled up to her chest in a melancholy fashion, abruptly looked urgently over at Bruce. "Unless the Penguin is supplying medical care for Nora while she's his captive," she said brightly. "In which case, we might be able to track down where Nora's being held by doing a computer trace of whoever bought an extensive load of medical supplies within the last few weeks."

"The buyer would have to be somebody who wasn't a hospital, or a clinic," Bruce added, with a nod. "Yeah. That would be your red flag. I think you got something there, Babs."

"I'll go check it out now!" Barbra said, as she jumped out of her chair and ran out of the room.

Rachel stared after her with a smile. "It's good to see she's cheered up somewhat."

"Poor thing," Alex said sadly. "She's been worried sick about what would happen to her dad if the League invaded Gotham City."

"The same thing that would happen to me, I guess," Rachel said, as an alarmed expression appeared on her face. "As the District Attorney, I'd probably be thrown in whatever gulag Wonder Woman has planned for all of us in power if Gotham City were to be conquered."

"Save a seat for me," Olivia grimly said. "Because I'll probably be tossed in the slammer, too. For fighting back anyway I can."

"It won't come to that," Bruce firmly said.

"You don't think the League wouldn't throw us in jail if they invaded?" Olivia asked him.

"Even if the League did invade, the Batman wouldn't just sit by and let them put you--or anybody else--in jail," Bruce told them. "Count on it, Liv."

They hushed down when they heard Barbra come running back down the hallway towards them. She appeared in the doorway and grinned sheepishly at Bruce. "I was about to use the computer in the Batcave," she said. "But, um, it occurred to be that I probably should ask your permission, first."

"Go right ahead, Barbra," Bruce told her. "Feel free. I can use all the help I can get at this point."

"Great, thanks!" Barbra called over her shoulder as she shot back down the hallway once more.

"It's nice to give her something to do," Dick said, after Barbra had left, "as a way of cheering her up."

"Don't be surprised if she finds something," Bruce told him. "Batgirl may be retired, but Barbra Gordon's still got her father's determination."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about Batgirl being gone forever," Olivia said, as she and Alex exchanged a knowing look. "Barbra's gotten very good with the karate lately. We just witnessed her take down with ease three burly guys at her karate school."

"Really?" Bruce said with interest.

"I'm still convinced that there's something in the water in this place," Olivia muttered. "People drink it, and then they become costumed crime fighters. First Bruce, then Dick and now Barbra."

Alfred pointed at the half-filled glass of water that sat on the table in front of Olivia. "If that's the case, then you should be next."

"Liv's already a superhero," Dick said, smiling.

"She is to me," Alex replied, as she placed an arm over Olivia's shoulders.

"Well, what I actually meant is that Olivia's already well known as," Dick said, with a dramatic pause, "the Huntress…."

"How many times have I told you to stop calling me that!" Olivia grumbled in mock anger.

"Huntress, Huntress, Huntress," Dick taunted her, as he slowly rose from his chair.

"All right, that does it." Olivia got up from the table and proceeded to chase Dick around the kitchen. "Get back here, you little punk!"

"Dick, if she grabs you, just tickle her ribs," Alex playfully called. "That's her weak spot!"

"Oh, jeez, Alex, thanks for the support!" Olivia muttered, as she raced past them.

"All right, all right," Alex said, giggling, as she got up and ran after Olivia. "Let me help you!"

"It's good at least that we can still laugh in the face of this looming crisis," Alfred said, smiling, as he cleared the table. "Morale is high."

As Alfred brought the dishes into the kitchen, Bruce glanced at Rachel, who once more appeared nervous. "Do you really think the worst case scenario will happen?" she quietly asked him. "Will the League invade Gotham City?"

Bruce gently took her hands in his own and said, "Let come what may, Rachel. We will deal with it, and we will survive it. All of us. That I promise you."

The entire room appeared to have been illuminated by the radiant smile that Rachel gave him just then.

**B&B**

When Lois Lane emerged on the roof of the Daily Planet building, she already felt better. After spending all day writing at her desk, it felt good to step out into the night air. Plus, there was also something very soothing about watching the massive Daily Planet logo slowly sail around the globe above her. Despite whatever problems Lois might have had at that moment, just the very sight of the massive, illuminated monument to journalism that was the Daily Planet globe was sometimes enough to calm her nerves.

Yet tonight, once she stepped out onto the roof, Lois' attention was diverted from the globe to another, even more absorbing sight on the roof.

It was Superman.

The Man Of Steel stood forlornly on the very edge of the building, his face hidden in the shadows. "Hello, Lois," he said, without even turning.

"Hello, Superman," she replied. "What's wrong?"

"What makes you think there's something wrong?" he asked.

"You're brooding," Lois answered, as she strode up to him. "And since you're not the Batman, I can only assume there's something wrong. What is it?"

"I went and saw the President today," he said.

Lois nodded. "I know. In fact, the entire world knows it. But what nobody knows is what was said between the two of you."

"This must be kept between us," he told her. "Off the record--at least for now."

"Of course," she readily agreed. Lois felt the foreboding stirring of trepidation slide up her back. "What's wrong? Please, tell me."

He finally turned and faced her, then. His face was half in shadow, half in light--and to Lois, it appeared as if the lighting reflected the torment that was obviously tearing him apart from within. "I tried to reassure the President about the rumors regarding the League attacking Gotham City. But he refused to believe me, Lois. The Justice League satellite has now been targeted by the Air Force's hunter/killer satellites. And the President said that his fears, along with that of the nation's, would only be assuaged once the Justice League was permanently disbanded."

"Oh, dear God," Lois said in shock. "Superman, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, Lois," he said plaintively. "I just don't know."

**B&B**

When J'onn had received word of a special meeting to be led by Wonder Woman in the docking bay of the Justice League satellite, he made it his business to be there. For one thing, it wasn't an official meeting, but one that was announced on the sly, by word of mouth. Steel--who was taking over monitor duty from J'onn for the nightshift--was the one who informed him, and J'onn noticed that he appeared very uneasy about it.

"Will you be there?" J'onn asked.

"No, I'm on duty," Steel answered firmly. "And, besides, I really don't like what's been going down, lately. I want no part of it."

J'onn understood his feelings. There were many in the League who had been greatly unsettled by Wonder Woman's actions--the fact that she seemingly worked to undermine the JLA ruling council was bad enough, but the panic that had been fired up on the streets of Gotham City--thanks to the rumors of an imminent invasion that Wonder Woman seemingly encouraged--was simply inexcusable.

The crowd that J'onn found gathered in the sealed docking bay was small, but its size did not appear to bother Diana, who stood on a crate and spoke passionately about how she felt the League wasn't doing everything that it was supposed to be doing to combat evil by allowing this situation with Gotham City to slide.

"We have a major city within the United States of America that is as corrupt as they come," she told the assembled group of superheroes--who included the Hawks, The Question, Green Lantern, the Atom, Plastic Man, Aquaman, and several others within its ranks. "The streets of Gotham City overflow with injustice on a daily basis. And yet we ignore it! And by ignoring a major cause of corruption like this, we are forever doomed to keep fighting the smaller problems, the symptoms, forever without end. We need to take matters into our own hands, to show the ruling council what good this League can really do, by tackling the major corruption head on."

It had not been J'onn's intention to disrupt the meeting--on the contrary, he had actually wanted to hear what Diana had to say. But he soon saw that wasn't about to happen, when Aquaman suddenly turned and started to walk away while Diana was still speaking.

"Aquaman," she called. "Do my words offend you?"

"Actions speak louder than words," the King of the seas replied. "I'm offended by the mass hysteria you've caused on the streets of Gotham City. And here you speak of making a bad situation even worse."

Wonder Woman shook her head sadly. "And so you would have us do nothing about the Batman, nor the cesspool that is Gotham City?"

"Let's say we do as you wish and ravage Gotham City, while we depose of the Batman," The Question said. "What's next? Do we keep invading city after city, all over the world, remaking them into our own image? That scenario doesn't sound much better to me."

"And what if one of the cities you decide to 'make over' includes Atlantis?" Aquaman pointedly asked. "You speak so loftily of fighting injustice, Wonder Woman, but I'm beginning to wonder if the next real threat we have to watch out for is you!"

Aquaman stormed away just then--as did The Question, Plastic Man, The Atom, and many others. All that remained with Wonder Woman were J'onn, Green Lantern and the Hawks.

"Well," Wonder Woman said, as she looked over the remaining heroes. "I guess it's up to us, now."

"No, it's not," Green Lantern said, with a shake of his head. "I'm sorry, Diana, but we took this as far as we could. If we act on our own, now, we'd be rebels. And I have no desire to fight the rest of the League over this."

"You would no longer be members of the League in any case," J'onn spoke up. "The ruling council has voted to leave Batman be. Knowing Superman as well as I do, he would never tolerate what he would see as being a major betrayal of a ruling by the League's council."

"Are you here to threaten us?" Hawkman asked.

"No," J'onn said calmly. "Merely to remind you that what you are considering doing is a grave mistake."

"You're preaching to the choir here, J'onn," Green Lantern told him. "I'm out of this. Diana, if you still attack Gotham City, you'll now be dealing with me, along with the others."

When Green Lantern left them, Wonder Woman got down from the crate. She turned to the Hawks and said, "Can I still count on you two?"

Hawkman exchanged an uneasy glance with Hawkgirl. "You know us, Diana, we would never shirk from a fight," Hawkman said. "But this battle appears to be lost before it has even started."

"It would be better to save our fight for another occasion," Hawkgirl said. "Perhaps, if we continue to effect change from within the League, we can one day convince the others to see our point of view."

"I grow tired of waiting," Wonder Woman said. "The time to act is now, and if you will not do so, then I shall go at it alone."

She turned and left them.

"Diana," J'onn called after her as he caught up with Wonder Woman in the corridor. "Please, wait."

"I _have_ waited, J'onn," she told him. "I can no longer afford to do so anymore. You're a decent man--whom I consider to be a close friend, but I do not expect you to understand."

"Then enlighten me," he said. "What do you hope to gain by attacking Gotham City?"

"I have no hidden agenda here," she told him. "It is exactly what I've said all along--Gotham City is a cesspool that needs to be cleaned up, starting with the Batman. We've automatically assumed that he was always a force for good, but--as we've seen with Captain Cold--that's clearly not the case. How can the League fight evil all across the world and beyond when it can essentially condone its existence in a major city like Gotham?"

J'onn titled his head slightly, as something occurred to him. "You are a decent woman, Diana. And one whom I am most pleased to call a close friend, as well. But it is you who does not truly understand this situation."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Do I?"

"Yes. You were raised on Paradise Island, a place that truly deserved its name and earned its reputation. Compared to that serene existence which you enjoyed, Gotham City _would_ look like hell. But that is not the case. There are many decent people who live there. The Batman is not your enemy--neither are the people of Gotham City."

"It's the people of Gotham City whom I seek to set free of the corruption," Wonder Woman informed him, as her features grew hard. "And if you're not with me, then you would do well to be like the others and get out of my way."

She turned on her heel and walked away from him just then. J'onn stood alone, thinking for the longest time. Then he sought out Green Lantern. J'onn found him talking with Steel on the main deck. Taking Green Lantern aside, J'onn whispered, "I urgently need you to transport me somewhere, right away."

"You got it," Green Lantern said. "Where to?"

"Gotham City."

**B&B**

Olivia stifled a yawn as she walked into her office at the SVU. Playtime with Alex had ran a little over the agreed-to time limit in their bedroom at Wayne Manor last night, cutting into their sleep--but Olivia thought it was still time well spent. Although waking up on time was especially hard this morning, digging into her daily workload turned out to be somewhat pleasant for Olivia, as it diverted her attention from the possible coming invasion of Gotham City to more mundane, everyday items.

Like ordering more toilet paper for the men and women's restrooms.

Olivia shook her head as she glanced at the list, which was given to her by the vendor, and considered the multitude of selections of toilet tissue that were on hand. It ranged from fluffy soft to as hard as sandpaper. She had briefly thought about stocking the latter in the perp's jail cells--until Olivia realized, with a smile, that it might be considered as being cruel and unusual punishment.

Thoughts of toilet tissue torture vanished from her mind once Olivia saw who was seated in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

It was Elliot Stabler.

He stood up with a smile as Olivia ran over and gave him a warm hug. "Linda said I could wait for you in here," he said. "How you doing, Liv?"

"Great!" She waved the list at him. "I'm just trying to decide what type of toilet tissue to order for the restrooms."

Elliot nodded solemnly. "Yep. I knew that, once they bumped you upstairs, you'd be busy making the truly big decisions."

Olivia laughed as she walked around the desk and took her seat. "How times have changed--but your sense of humor hasn't, thankfully. How's Dani?"

"Great," Elliot replied, as he sat down again. "She sends her love, and hopes to see you and Alex again soon."

"What brings you to Gotham, El? You working a case?"

Elliot shook his head. "Just wanted to offer you and Alex sanctuary."

Olivia stared at him. At first, thinking Elliot was joking, she had smiled. But when he continued to gaze solemnly at her, Olivia's smile faded. "You're serious? You want to offer Alex and me…sanctuary? Why?"

"Because of what's gonna happen to Gotham City," he replied. "You've got a lot of people in New York City who still care about you, Liv. Both you and Alex. And we just want to make sure that--no matter what happens here--the both of you will be all right."

"Oh, El," Olivia said, touched. "You came all the way to Gotham City just to check on us?"

"No, I came all the way to Gotham City to bring you and Alex back to New York with me," he told her. "Kathy and the kids are even worried sick about you, Liv, as well as everybody at the One Six. We've managed to set up a place for the two of you in the city, where you can be safe until this situation is over. Just think about it, at least, Oliv--"

Elliot stopped speaking when a woman suddenly strode into the office just then. She was dressed in an overcoat with a hat that was pulled down over her face.

"Excuse me," Olivia said. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah," the woman said, as she pulled off her hat. And when she did, Olivia swore there was something about her that was oddly familiar. "I recognize youse from the udder night. When youse led the raid on my work place? Remember?"

"Yes!" Olivia said with a nod. "You were one of the waitresses at the Penguin's nightclub. As I recall, you didn't much like the fact that we were on your turf. You still got a problem with it, now?"

The woman glanced down at the floor. "No, see, I'm here ta ask for ya help. I overheard the Penguin talking about rubbing out mobsters--and there wuz even a dead mobster on the floor, who he wuz kicking. This was after he wuz talking to the big ice guy."

"Mr. Freeze?!" Olivia asked, as she exchanged a stunned look with Elliot. "You overheard the Penguin speaking with Mr. Freeze?!"

"Yeah, talking about killing some guys named Cho and Petrov," the woman replied. "I think I need to be protected, or something...."

Olivia couldn't believe that she was hearing. "Ok, um, what's your name?"

"Marlene Lewis."

"Ok, Marlene, why don't you have a--"

Olivia was interrupted when one of the ceiling to floor length windows in her office shattered into a million pieces. Elliot instinctively tackled Marlene to the floor as Olivia ducked under her desk.

As Olivia crouched under her desk, she heard footsteps walking around the office. "El? You all right?"

"Yeah," he replied. "What the hell is _she_ doing here?"

When the footsteps walked around the side of Olivia's desk, she climbed out and said, "What do you mean? Is Marlene--?"

Olivia paused when she saw that the feet that stood in front of her were clad in red boots. She glanced up and was alarmed to see none other than Wonder Woman.

"Well, well," Wonder Woman said. "If it isn't Batman's Buddy…."

The Amazonian Princess grabbed Olivia and effortlessly hauled her up from the floor and placed her back in her chair, where she instantly wrapped Olivia's body up in a golden rope. Olivia felt an odd tingling sensation that seemed to emanate from the rope.

"This is my golden lasso," Wonder Woman told her. "And while you wear it, you shall speak only the truth to me."

"Yes," Olivia blurted out--quite against her will.

Wonder Woman leaned forward. "What is the Batman's real identity?"

Olivia could only helplessly stare up at her in horror, as her mouth opened, and she began to truthfully answer the one question that would very well destroy them all.

**To Be Continued....**


	7. Chapter 7

_I would like to thank FrozenFire676, RebelByrdie, Zarathustra1030, for taking the time to write their reviews. Thanks, as always. _

**Batman & Benson 4**

**Chapter Seven**

Olivia struggled to keep her mouth shut--never in her life did she imagine that she would ever have to fight to do something as insane like this. But the golden lasso that Wonder Woman kept firmly wrapped around her body gave Olivia no choice. And, entirely against her will, Olivia found herself answering Wonder Woman's dreaded question.

"The B-Batman's r-real identity is," she helplessly started to say. Olivia stopped herself by holding her breath.

"Try as you may," Wonder Woman smugly told her. "You can't fight it."

"Yo, Supergirl!"

Both Wonder Woman and Olivia glanced over to see Elliot standing there with his gun drawn. Detectives from the Gotham City SVU, including Linda, Mike and Andrea, were all beside him with their guns drawn.

"The name is Wonder Woman," she told Elliot. "And my business is not with you."

"The hell it isn't lady," Elliot coolly muttered. "Release her right now!"

"I will, once I get the information I require from her," Wonder Woman told him. "Until then, you'd be better off--"

She never got to finish, for Elliot abruptly opened fire.

Wonder Woman quickly released Olivia as she warded off the bullets with her bracelets. As Olivia dived to the floor during the melee, the one thing she didn't want to say right here and now came out of her mouth: "Bruce Wayne!"

Yet as she quickly sat up and pulled off the golden lasso, Olivia saw that Wonder Woman--along with everyone else in the room--were a little too busy to have heard her. The gunfire had stopped as Wonder Woman charged at Elliot and the group of officers who had tried to come to Olivia's aid. Wonder Woman flipped over Olivia's desk and used it as a battering ram to smash against the group of cops. Elliot just narrowly ducked out of the way as he fell to the floor with the others.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Olivia screamed at her.

Wonder Woman turned and smiled serenely at her. "My job. Something which the rest of the League doesn't have the guts to do. Speaking of which, Inspector, I didn't quite catch what you said before. You mind repeating it?"

Olivia pulled out her gun and aimed it at Wonder Woman. "I'll die, first!"

"No need for melodrama," Wonder Woman replied, as she picked up her magic lasso and stormed over to Olivia. "Because, no matter what, I always get what I want, anyway. So, you might as well just--"

Yet both Olivia and Wonder Woman were startled when a green hand reached out and snatched Olivia's gun away from her. "This is quite enough."

Olivia was surprised to see J'onn J'onzz by her side--and for a spilt second, a frightened Olivia actually didn't know whether whose side he was on. Until he walked up to a smiling Wonder Woman--and then slugged her across the face. The force of J'onn's punch was enough to send Wonder Woman careening straight through the very same shattered window that she had smashed her way in through.

J'onn turned to Olivia and said, "My deepest apologies, Olivia. Know that the Justice League was not behind this. Wonder Woman acted alone."

He handed Olivia back her gun, and then J'onn leapt through the smashed window after Wonder Woman.

And it was over.

At least the battle was over.

Olivia glanced around her ruined office in a daze. There were police officers lying around everywhere.

She went over to Elliot and helped him up to his feet. "Good shooting, El! You ok?"

"Yeah," he said, brushing off a piece of debris from his jacket. "What about you? She hurt you at all?"

"Not physically. But I can't help but feel as if I've just been violated." Olivia frantically glanced around the room. "Is everybody all right? Mike? Andrea?"

"We're fine, Inspector," Andrea called.

"Me, too, boss," Linda chimed in.

"Yeah, same here," Mike wearily added, "although I really wouldn't want to do _that_ again!"

When Olivia checked on the rest of her squad, everybody else just smiled and either waved or nodded at her. Olivia was relieved to see that her kids who tried to come to her aid appeared to be none the worst for wear after their run in with the Amazonian Princess.

"Liv," Elliot urgently called from across the room. "You see Marlene anywhere?"

Olivia gave him a wide-eyed look. "Oh Christ! In all the confusion, I had forgotten all about her! Marlene?! Anybody see a woman in her thirties with a visitor badge?"

When everybody shrugged and shook their heads, Elliot grimly said, "She must have taken off."

"Can you blame her?" Olivia said, as she picked up the phone on her desk. "Wonder Woman turned this place into a frigging war zone."

Olivia called the main lobby desk downstairs, but the officers on duty there had not reported seeing a woman matching Olivia's description, either. The sergeant in charge admitted that most of the police in the lobby were busy responding to Wonder Woman's attack, anyway.

"An elephant on roller skates could have went right by us, and we wouldn't have noticed him," he told Olivia. "Sorry, Inspector."

Olivia shook her head as she hung up the phone. "Christ, talk about perfect timing! The one witness who could put the Penguin back behind bars walks right into my office just when that crazy bitch attacks!"

Elliot gently grabbed Olivia's arm and pulled her over to a private spot. "Wonder Woman asked if you knew Batman's real identity--do you?"

When Olivia just gave him an annoyed look, Elliot added, "All right, fine. Don't tell me. It doesn't really matter, anyway. Because once word gets out about the reason why Wonder Woman came after you, every super villain and wacko who wants to know Batman's real identity will try and track you down. This is all the more reason why you and Alex should come back to New York City with me."

Olivia let out a heavy sigh when she saw a stunned Commissioner Gordon enter her office. "Elliot, thank you very much for caring about me, and standing by me the way you still do," she said. "I truly appreciate it, and will always love you like a brother for it. But I can't leave Gotham City. Maybe you could take Alex back with you and keep her safe for me, huh?"

"Yeah, I could," Elliot said. "But I've got the feeling that, if you're staying here, then Alex will, as well. I just hope you know what you're doing, Liv."

As she walked over to report to Gordon, Olivia glanced over her shoulder and said, "This is my home, now, El. I'm not about to leave just when my friends need me the most."

**B&B**

When J'onn landed in the plaza just outside police headquarters, he found Wonder Woman. The force from his punch had smashed her right into the concrete walkway, creating a crater. She now rose slowly, dusting herself off, as dozens of people--both police and civilians--all gathered warily around them.

"Oh…my…god!" a teenage girl said excitedly into a cell. "You will _not_ believe what's happening right before me, Cheryl! I am watching Wonder Woman battle the Incredible Hulk right now! Yes! Isn't that just _so_ awesome?!"

"You mind explaining yourself?" Wonder Woman angrily asked.

"You invade the office of Inspector Benson and assault her, along with many other police officers, and you have the nerve to ask _me_ to explain myself?!" J'onn said, infuriated. "I came after you to try and stop you, Wonder Woman, before you carried out this madness any further. But now I see that I was too late."

"You would allow this cesspool of a city to--"

"Gotham City is not a cesspool!" J'onn shouted in her face. "It isn't Paradise Island, either--but you do not have the right to remake it in the image of your home."

"Annie!" a frightened man shouted into his cell. "Go get the kids out of school, now! The invasion they've been talking about, it's starting right now!"

"Wait! There is no invasion!" J'onn assured the crowds.

However, everyone took a frightened step back away from him and Wonder Woman. Several other people ran off fearfully while a group of uniformed officers slowly and nervously raised their guns at them.

"Take a good look at what you've created," J'onn solemnly told Wonder Woman. "They're now afraid of us. Are you satisfied?"

"Perhaps I should have never left Paradise Island," she icily said.

"Perhaps you should return to your beloved home," J'onn retorted with equal coldness, "and stay there!"

Ignoring the shouted commands of the police, he and Wonder Woman both departed the scene, flying off in the opposite direction of each other.

**B&B**

"The deicing agent is propelled through the nozzle, which you can easily see," Lucius said, as he displayed the new weapon. "And it flows from this backpack, which I've been able to design to fit flat and snugly against your back. The nozzle collapses, and can be stored out of the way on the back of your utility belt."

"Why do I have the feeling there's a 'but' coming?" Bruce asked.

"But," Lucius said--and not without a slight smile. "You're going to be carrying a gallon of this deicer on your back, Bruce."

"I can handle it," Bruce told him.

"You may be able to, but the Batsuit can't. With that much weight on your back, you'll be seriously off balanced, and flying with the cape will be out of the question."

"I understand," Bruce said, as he delicately fingered the nozzle gun. "It's an apt trade off; my flight capability for the ability to go toe to toe with Mr. Freeze. With this, and the loss of the Batwing, I'll just have to get used to being completely grounded, now."

Lucius smile spread into a broad grin. "Not quite, Bruce. Come with me."

He was led over to where the Javelin was parked, and once he saw the sight before him, it was Bruce's turn to smile broadly.

"Very nice, Lucius," he said, with an approving nod at the newly painted Javelin. "Very nice indeed."

"I didn't have much black paint on hand, and I knew you needed it as soon as possible," Lucius explained. "So I had it painted in the next best color, Midnight Blue. Like it?"

Bruce marveled at how much more sleeker the darker color made the Javelin appear. "It works very well. Can I take it home tonight?"

Lucius nodded. "It's all set up, including having already been auto-slaved to your voice, just like the Batwing was. Just keep in mind that, although it will still fit in the hanger, this is a far bigger beast than the Batwing."

"In other words, I should watch my corners, or else I'll ding the finish," Bruce said with a smile.

His smile faded when he saw Alfred running over to them. "Apologies for disturbing you, Master Bruce, Lucius," the butler said. "But the news is reporting that Olivia has just been attacked by Wonder Woman."

"What?!" Bruce said in shock. "How long ago?"

"About a half an hour ago," Alfred said. "It's all over the radio."

"Let's see what the TV news has to say," Lucius said, as he led them over to his computer console.

"In a shocking new development, Wonder Woman has attacked Gotham City Police Headquarters," Summer Gleason, the news reporter at the scene, said on the live feed. "Specifically, she had attacked the office of Inspector Olivia Benson, the commander of the Special Victims Unit. No word is given on why Wonder Woman assaulted Benson's office, which suffered extreme damage in the attack."

"Dear Lord," Lucius said sadly. "What has the world come to?"

"Wonder Woman's rampage of Inspector Benson's office has been brought to a halt by the mysterious green man whom they call the Martian Manhunter," Gleason continued. "This was who Wonder Woman was seen fighting--not the Hulk, as was previously reported."

Bruce was stunned when his cell phone rang just then. He was further stunned to see who the call was from.

"Olivia, are you all right?" Bruce asked, as he answered the call.

"Yes, Bruce, I'm fine--a little shook up, but just fine."

"What the hell happened? Can you talk freely now?"

"Yeah, but not for long. Wonder Woman was after the real identity of the Batman. She used her magic lasso on me, and damn near got what she wanted. If it weren't for Elliot--"

"Elliot was there?"

"Yeah, he was trying to talk me into coming back to New York City with him because he thinks Gotham City isn't safe anymore." There was a pause as Bruce heard her chuckle slightly. "And then Wonder Woman attacked! Elliot still wanted me and Alex to come back with him."

"Where is Wonder Woman now?"

"Bruce, listen to me--"

"No, Liv, she crossed a line here," he angrily growled. "She tried to get at me through you--that's the tactic of a super villain. She must be taken down. Now."

"J'onn J'onzz was there, and he stopped her," Olivia said. "Let him and the Justice L--"

"To hell with the Justice League!" Bruce roared. "If that gold-plated bitch thinks she can mess with _my_ sister--!"

"DAMN IT!" Olivia shouted back. "JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME! PLEASE?!"

That stopped his rage right in its tracks. "What is it?"

"There was a woman here, her name is Marlene Lewis. She worked at the Penguin's nightclub, and she said she witnessed him speaking with Mr. Freeze about killing gangsters. She even saw the dead body of a mobster on the floor while the Penguin and Mr. Freeze spoke."

"Whoa," Bruce whispered, stunned. "Where is she right now?"

"That's just it, Bruce--she's gone! Wonder Woman attacked just when Marlene walked into my office. I've had Mike and Andrea try and track her down, but so far, it looks like Marlene's went deep underground. The testimony from this woman alone would be enough to put the Penguin back behind bars for the rest of his life, and she's now in the wind. And I figure that if the police can't find her--"

"--the Batman can," he said with a slow nod. "Yeah, I see your point, Liv."

"Look, I'm the first to admit that what happened with Wonder Woman sucks--especially since I was the one whom she attacked--but it's not really the pressing issue here," she said. "It's like what you're always reminding Dick: maintain your focus. You know?"

"I do, and thanks for reminding _me_," he said. "By the way, _are_ you going back to New York with Elliot?"

"What, and miss out on all the fun here? You kidding?" she said lightly. "No, I'm here to stay, Bruce."

"That's my girl," Bruce replied with a smile. "And you and Alex are staying with us at Wayne Manor from now on until further notice, for your own protection--and I won't take no for an answer."

"You're forcing me to hang out at your luxurious mansion? Oh…all right," Olivia said with humorous sarcasm. "If you _insist_…."

"See you later if I don't talk to you before, sis," Bruce told her, just before they ended the call.

"Is she all right, sir?" Alfred asked anxiously.

"Yes," Bruce said, as he sped-dialed another number on his cell. He shook his head and chuckled. "Only Olivia can brush off an attack by Wonder Woman like it was no big deal."

"May I ask who you're calling now?"

"Dick," he replied. "I have an urgent new research assignment for him and Barbra to do for me. If all goes well, Alfred, the Penguin may be back behind bars by this evening."

"From your lips to God's ears, sir."

**B&B**

When Dick finally found Barbra, she was in the Batcave, seated at the Batcomputer with a petulant look on her face. No sooner did she wake up this morning than Barbra ate a perfunctory breakfast and run back down to the Bat computer to resume the search that she started last night. Casually dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt, she was scrunched up in the chair, with her legs bent underneath her, and she glared at the screen as if it had just insulted her.

"Not going well?" Dick asked, as he strode up to her.

"There's a lot of people in Gotham City with home medical care," Barbra muttered. "All of them have special medical equipment! I didn't know Gotham City had so many sick people who weren't in the hospital!"

"Kind of puts a damper on trying to find one specific person, huh?" Dick said sympathetically.

"It stinks!" Barbra said, as she got up from the console with an annoyed moan. "I just want to help you guys, that's all. I couldn't do it as Batgirl, and now I still can't seem to do it as just me."

"You've already been a huge help," Dick told her. "You just need a break from it, that's all. C'mon, let's go work off this frustration in the gym."

She gave him a skeptical look. "What will we do in the gym?"

"I've heard you've gotten pretty good with karate," Dick said. "Wanna show me?"

"Um, no, not really," Barbra said with a slight shake of her head.

"That's ok," Dick replied. "I understand if you're afraid."

As he turned and began to walk away from her, Dick grinned when Barbra said, "Afraid? Of you? Give me a break!"

He turned to face her and held up his hands. "Then show me what you've got, girlie. I promise I'll go easy on you."

"Oh, really?" Barbra said with a shake of her head. "You seriously think that psychological claptrap is gonna work on me?"

"No, I actually thought that my smug attitude would do it."

After giving it some thought, Barbra nodded. "You're right, it did. Come on!"

They went upstairs to the gym, where Dick removed his shoes. Barbara, who was already barefoot, waited for him on the mat.

"Like I said," Dick started to assure her, "I'll go easy on--"

Barbra grabbed his hand and tried to knee him in the stomach--but Dick instinctively dodged the blow and broke her grasp on his hand. He charged her, but this time Barbra ducked under his outstretched arms--and as Dick passed her, he let out a grunt as Barbra gave the back of his knee a gentle kick, forcing him to reflectively bend it and bringing Dick to his knees.

Dick remained on his knees on the mat in an effort to feint having been caught off guard. He braced himself for the attack to come.

But when nothing happened, he glanced over his shoulder at Barbra, who stood watching him with a coldly calculating cunning that surprised him. "You didn't think I would fall for that hoary old trick," Barbra asked, "did you?"

"No, I guess not," Dick replied with a smile, as he got to his feet. He had to admit that he seriously underestimated her; Barbra was a far better fighter than he had expected. "You're pretty good."

"You gonna try and defeat me with kindness?" Barbra taunted him. "Or are you actually gonna--?"

Dick charged at her just then, and from her widened eyes, he knew he'd finally caught Barbra off guard this time.

But to his surprise, she was still ready.

When Dick tried to grab her, she expertly stopped him with a high kick that he'd dodged right at the last moment. He tried to grab her upraised foot, yet Barbra swung her body away from him and did an acrobatic summersault across the mat. When she landed, it was on her feet, and she instantly assumed a defensive posture against him.

'Jesus, she's _really_ good,' Dick thought, impressed. Barbra had blended both karate and her gymnastics into a singular fighting style that was quite a sight to behold.

"You know, you were right," Barbra told him, as she remained in her combat stance. "This was just what I needed to work off the frustration."

"Happy to be of help," he said, "Batgirl…."

That really caught Barbra off guard. She looked like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights as she gave him a panic-stricken look. "What?!"

Dick then kicked her feet out from under her. Once she landed on her back on the mat, he straddled her and held her wrists down above her head.

"That was a dirty shot!" she snarled.

"You'd better expect your opponents to play dirty," he told her, "if you're going to survive to fight another day, Batgirl."

"Stop calling me that! You know I'm no longer Batgirl…."

"Who do you think you're kidding? Taking karate lessons is one thing, but you were fighting me to a stand-still just now!"

"Oh, well…look who's got a really high opinion of himself!"

"I was trained by Bruce, Barbra--you know, Batman? And yet you still fought me to a stand-still. Look, you're not fooling anybody here; everybody sees what you're really doing. Batgirl's not really retired for good, is she?"

She just lay there under him, her chest heaving, eyes averted. "Get off me, please," she said meekly.

"Uh, yeah…sorry," Dick replied, as he quickly got off of her. He sat down on the mat next to Barbra as she sat up in a cross-legged position. "Just answer me something, Barbra. You told me a while ago that you were gonna burn the Batgirl costume. Did you?"

"Yes, I did," she replied, as she gazed down shamefully at her crossed legs. "Right after I made the new Batgirl outfit."

"Oh, Babs," Dick said, shocked. "You promised!"

"I know, I know," she said, guiltily. "I just can't help it, Dick. I just _need_ to help you guys, and it's just as well that I stayed ready, because now you're gonna need Batgirl more than ever--what with the invasion and everything."

"If the League ever do invade Gotham City, we're probably gonna be on the run," Dick said. "And you'd be better off laying low with your family."

"Not unless my dad's in jail, or worse," she told him. "Look, it's not like I'm not happy helping you guys with research, I am. I'm glad to be of help in anyway I can. But just keep in mind that, should you need her, Batgirl is also able to help you, too. And I won't go out as Batgirl unless you guys ask for my help."

Dick solemnly nodded. He wasn't sure just how happy Bruce would be upon hearing this news, so he decided to take a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. As long as Bruce didn't ask about Batgirl, Dick wouldn't say a word.

"You still have a mad crush on Bruce?" he asked.

"I'm over that," she said, with a shake of her head. "Although I still greatly admire and respect him."

"What about me? You've got a crush on me, right?"

Barbra rolled her eyes at that. "You really do have a very healthy ego, don't you?"

"Yeah. And you still didn't answer the question," Dick replied with a smile. When his cell rang, he held up a finger. "Hold that thought."

"Why don't _you_ go hold your--"

"Yeah, Bruce? What's up?"

Dick grew solemn when he heard the news about Olivia being attacked. Then he repeated the name Marlene Lewis when Bruce told him about her, and how they needed as much information about her as soon as possible. He fed Barbra the news as he got it.

"Got it, Bruce," Dick said, just before he ended the call.

When he glanced over at Barbra, he saw that she now knelt on the mat with an anxious expression. "Is Liv all right?"

"Yeah, she's good," he replied, as they got to their feet. "She and Alex will be coming back here later to stay for the duration."

"Is this it?" Barbra nervously asked. "Has the invasion by the League begun?"

"Wonder Woman was working alone. That Martian dude stopped her. It's all over the news--which we'll be watching while we dig up all the info we can on Marlene Lewis. Bruce needs it ASAP. She's a witness who can put the Penguin back in jail."

"But what about Wonder Woman and the invasion?"

"One crisis at a time, Babs," Dick said, as they both ran back to the Batcave. "One crisis at a time…."

**B&B**

Rachel felt sick to her stomach as she stood with Jim Gordon behind the mayor during their second press conference in as many days. The attack on Olivia by Wonder Woman had seriously rattled an already jittery Gotham City government--one which was reluctantly moving forward with an arrest warrant for the Batman, thanks to the Penguin's filing of assault charges against the Dark Knight. The release of the surveillance video to the media by an unknown source certainly didn't help.

This fact enraged Gordon, who--with Rachel by his side--had argued earlier with the mayor in his office to delay the warrant for Batman's arrest. At least until Gordon could track down who had leaked the surveillance footage to the media.

But it was the very fact that the footage, which showed the Batman holding a seemingly helpless Penguin out a window, was leaked to the media in the first place that sealed the deal for the mayor. And then there was the attack on Olivia by Wonder Woman.

"One of Gotham City's most celebrated police officers, and the commander of one of its elite police units, is attacked by Wonder Woman in her own office in broad daylight," the mayor said. "All because of Inspector Benson's ties to the Batman. And it's because of these very same ties to the Batman that Gotham City has is the reason that we're under the threat we now face! This city has enjoyed a major renaissance these past few years--one we can't endanger because of our devotion to a masked vigilante."

"Respectfully, sir, but it was that very same masked vigilante who started the renaissance that this city is enjoying," Gordon said. "And _this_ is how we thank him?"

"It's not just the Batman," the mayor said quietly. "There's a major change coming regarding our dealings with _all _of these so-called superheroes."

"When you say 'our dealings' do you strictly mean Gotham City?" Rachel asked. "Or--"

"Like you two, I'm basically just following orders," the major said with unease.

"From the governor?" Gordon asked.

The mayor shook his head. "The federal government. This is big, Jim. It's a monumental shift in national policy. And Wonder Woman's attack on Benson's office today only fired up the hardliners in Washington; they say that America's cities must no longer become battlegrounds for petty arguments between meta-humans."

Rachel had wanted to blurt out that neither Batman nor Robin were actually meta-humans--but she stopped when she realized the mayor would want to know how she was so certain about that fact. Besides, it was clear that this argument was already settled. And she was deeply unsettled by what the mayor just told them.

As they left for the press conference, the mayor abruptly stopped them. "One more thing: what shall we do about Benson?"

Gordon looked outraged. "What do you mean?"

"Does she really know the true identity of the Batman?" the mayor asked.

"No," Rachel lied. "I asked her once, and Olivia said that she had no idea who the Batman was; he never revealed it to her."

The mayor nodded, satisfied. "Very well."

But Gordon still looked alarmed. "If we tell people that the real reason Wonder Woman attacked Olivia was to get Batman's identity, then Olivia will never know a moment's peace from this point onwards."

"I agree," Rachel said. "We can't make her a target like that."

"Then we won't," the major told them, as they left his office. "We will officially leave out all reference to Wonder Wonder's motivation regarding her attack on Benson. And, Jim, you might want to advise Benson to change her attitude towards the Batman from now on. It won't be a good idea for her to be Batman's Buddy once the cops start actively hunting him down."

Thanks to this meeting, Rachel was already feeling sick when she arrived for the press conference. But the absolute worse moment for her came when she was required to face the legion of reporters as Gotham City's district attorney. She held the arrest warrant for Batman in her hands, and found herself thinking back to the first time when she had to face reporters as the district attorney. Rachel had been terrified--until she saw Bruce standing up in the galley, giving her moral support.

And here she was, about to make the man whom she loved with all her heart and soul a fugitive from justice. Rachel took a deep breath and spoke the words. The reporters reacted to the Batman's official arrest warrant like a pack of ravenous piranha churning the waters.

When the dirty deed was done, Rachel excused herself to the nearest women's room, where she vomited in the first empty toilet she found. Her stomach immediately felt better--but her conscience still didn't. As she washed up over the sink, Rachel caught her pale, haunted reflection in the mirror.

'What the hell is happening?' she wondered. 'Everything feels like it's spiraling out of control. Will we be able to overcome it? And, if not, then where will all of this lead to?'

**B&B**

"Arrrgh," the Penguin angrily growled, as he waddled out of his office and down the stairs to the main dining area of his nightclub.

His waitresses were already working hard to get the empty nightclub ready for the customers when it opened later. Yet they all stopped and stared fearfully as the Penguin waddled over and glared angrily at all of them.

All of the women loathed and despised the weird little man who was their boss, and several of them were outright afraid of him--but the Penguin paid very well in a tight economy where jobs were few, and so they had no choice but to put up with their boss's eccentricities, such as now, when he decided to growl at them for no good reason.

"Arrrgh!" the Penguin roared. He twisted his umbrella tightly in his hands as he continued to glare hatefully at the women--who by now had all huddled together in a fearful little group. They looked like a very frightened herd of deer that had been caught by a very hungry mountain lion.

Lazlo came upon this scene with a frown. "Something the matter, boss?"

"Arrgh! Get rid of them!" the Penguin said, waving his hand at the waitresses. "Go on, away with the lot of you! Take the rest of the week off, with full pay! I don't care, just get them out of my sight!"

The waitresses were only too happy to follow this order. They literally dropped what they were doing and flew out the door in a stampede.

"Get in the kitchen and get rid of the cooks and busboys as well," the Penguin ordered Lazlo.

Lazlo looked nonplussed. "You get advance word that we're being raided again?"

"No, our bought stooge within the police department has informed me that one of our waitresses, Marlene Lewis, offered herself to Benson as a witness against me. Apparently, she saw me speaking to Mr. Freeze last night!"

Lazlo let out a long, low whistle. "That's not good."

"You think?! Arrrgh!" The Penguin threw his umbrella in frustration on the floor. "I pay these wenches a decent salary, and this is how they repay me?!"

"I guess Mr. Freeze will have another name on his hit list tonight, huh?"

"No, I want Freeze to handle Cho and Petrov tonight," the Penguin said. "I don't trust that iceman. Speaking of whom, is he awake, yet?"

Lazlo shook his head. "Still sleeping like a baby, cocooned in a ball of ice at least a foot thick."

"Arrrgh! Listen, I want _you_ to find Marlene, Lazlo. Take as many of the boys you need to do the job. Just find her and kill her!"

Lazlo nodded. "You got it, boss. Oh, and by the way, you'll be happy to know that the special equipment we ordered has arrived. It's in the back."

"Excellent," the Penguin said, with a smile. "Once the walking popsicle has served his purpose, we can finally dispose of him, as well. Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

**B&B**

When Olivia and Alex finally arrived at Wayne Manor, Barbra was so pleased to see Olivia was safe and sound that she ran into her arms and hugged her tightly. "Oh, gawd, Liv, I was so worried about you!"

"I'm fine, sweetie," Olivia assured her. She planted a kiss on Barbra's forehead. "But thanks for caring so much for me."

"You make caring for you so easy to do," Alex said, as she affectionately rubbed Olivia's shoulder. "Because you're such a wonderful person."

Barbra went over and gave Alex a hug. "And it's good to see you, too. I'm just glad everybody's here, safe and sound."

"Did Bruce and Alfred get back, yet?" Olivia asked.

Barbra nodded. "About an hour ago. I was working with Dick all day today on looking up where Marlene Lewis might have gone. We found out that she's got a sister with an apartment in the South Side."

"How did my guys miss that?" Olivia said, annoyed.

"The sister is divorced, but she kept her married name: Leslie Gortman," Barbra replied.

"It's always the little things that foul you up," Olivia said to Alex, who nodded in agreement. "Is Bruce getting ready to go out after her?"

Barbra nodded as they walked into the foyer. "He and Dick are getting prepped now. Alfred's in the Batcave with them."

"Did Rachel get home, yet?" Alex asked.

"Yes, but she had to go upstairs and lay down," Barbra said sadly. "She wasn't feeling well."

"After what she had to do today, I fully understand," Alex said. "Issuing a warrant on the man she loves must have gutted her."

"It wasn't one of my best days, to be sure," a voice gently said from above them.

Barbra glanced up to see Rachel, who descended the stairs. She had exchanged her work clothes for a pair if light grey slacks with a darker shade turtleneck. Her feet were bare. Barbra was amazed at how Rachel could still look so elegant even when she was relaxing at home.

Rachel regarded all of them with a weary smile. "The things I have to do for king and country, huh?"

"Listen, don't blame yourself," Olivia told her. "We all knew this was coming, and Bruce even told you to go ahead and do whatever you had to, remember?"

Rachel nodded. "But it doesn't make it any easier."

"It never is," Alex agreed. "But if Bruce and Dick--or, I should say, if Batman and Robin can find Marlene Lewis tonight, then the Penguin will be back in jail before you know it."

"I'm afraid it won't be so wrapped up as neat and tidy as we would like," Rachel told them. "This arrest warrant on the Batman is just the tip of the iceberg. Something big is coming, the government is starting some new crackdown on all the superheroes."

"Oh, crud," Alex muttered.

"We've also issued an arrest warrant for Wonder Woman. Not that anybody has any hope of the GCPD bringing _her_ in," Rachel said.

"Wonder Woman trashing my office this morning really didn't help matters much with the whole superhero issue," Olivia said with a shake of her head. She glanced at Barbra. "You should be thankful Babs! You picked a great time to retire as Batgirl."

Barbra just smiled broadly and nodded guiltily at them.

Rachel suddenly gave her a suspicious look. "You _are_ retired, right?"

"Yeah, Barbra," Olivia said, as she bent down and stared right into her eyes. "Batgirl _is_ gone for good, right?"

"Um," Barbra said, as she nervously eyed the three women who--next to her mother--she most admired and respected in the world. She hated the very thought of lying to them, but she had to say something right now…she just didn't know what to say.

Alfred appeared and nodded at them. "Pardon me, ladies. Miss Barbra, you are needed in the Batcave."

Barbra was so stunned that she wasn't sure she heard him right. "Uh, me?"

Alfred grinned affectionately at her. "Yes, you! The Batman asked for your presence specifically."

"Um, right," Barbra said, as she eagerly ran for the study with the entrance to the Batcave. And she gratefully thought: 'Saved by the butler! Thank you so much, Alfred!'

"Good to see you ladies home safe--especially you, Olivia," Alfred said.

"Thanks, Alfred," Olivia replied, as she gave him a hug. "Always good to see you, as well."

When she descended into the Batcave, Barbra saw Batman stood by the Batcomputer. When he saw her, he waved Barbra over. "I still need you to ride the computer tonight for us," he told her. "While we're looking for Marlene Lewis, you can see if there's any secret way in and out of the Penguin's nightclub. It's urgent that we find Nora Fries as soon as possible."

"Got it," Barbra said, as she eagerly sat in the seat.

Batman handed her a headset with a speaker piece. "Put these on. We'll be able to keep in touch with each other all night."

"All night?" Rachel asked, alarmed. "You expect her to stay up_ that_ late?"

"Why not?" Robin said with a grin. "It's not a school night for her. Or for me."

"We shouldn't be too long," Batman assured her. "Once we find Lewis, we'll call it a night--assuming we don't run into Mr. Freeze." He turned to Barbra. "But if you get any leads, anything at all, don't hesitate to call us."

"Then we may be out all night," Robin said grimly. "You packing heat, Batman? Um, I guess I should really say: you packing antifreeze?"

"Got it," the Dark Knight replied. As he walked over to Rachel, he added, "Be back soon."

After she hugged and kissed him, Rachel shook her hands in a repulsed manner. "Ugh, I can never get used to hugging you in that suit!"

"It serves it's purpose by scaring scum," Batman replied. "It wasn't meant for you. See you later."

"Be careful," she told him.

"Always," he replied.

Robin mock-saluted Barbra and said, "Hold the fort, Oracle."

Batman stopped and stared at him. "_Oracle?!_"

Barbra rolled her eyes. Dick had jokingly mentioned earlier about making up a new superhero name for her, but Barbra never thought he would actually go ahead and do it.

"Yeah," Robin replied. "She's become such a valuable resource to us for information, I just thought it would be cool to give her a new superhero name that was more fitting. Like Oracle."

Batman gazed at Barbra thoughtfully. "No. She's always had a superhero name, Robin. If we're going to call her anything, it should be Batgirl."

Olivia, Alex and Rachel all exchanged a look of startled disbelief between them. Even Alfred appeared surprised.

"Let's go, Robin," Batman said, as he headed for the Tumbler.

"We're not taking the new Batwing?" Robin asked, sounding disappointed.

"I want the Tumbler," Batman said, "just in case we run into Mr. Freeze tonight."

Robin grinned broadly at him. "So we can actually run _into _Mr. Freeze, huh? Oh, yeah! I'd like to see him try and throw _this_ monster around!"

"Oh, uh, wait just a second, here," Olivia said, waving her hand. "You can't be serious about Batgirl--?"

"Liv, we've got to get going," Batman told her, as he got into the Tumbler with Robin. "Talk to you later."

"Oh, you bet we will!" Olivia called after them. She stood with her hands on her hips as the Tumbler sealed itself up and took off with a roar.

Barbra worriedly glanced up as Olivia, Alex and Rachel all convened around the chair she sat in at the Batcomputer. All three women glared down at her with deep suspicion.

"Well, well," Rachel said, as she folded her arms across her chest. "Looks like Batgirl's back from retirement after all, huh?"

Barbra just let out a sheepish little laugh as she just shrugged helplessly at them. She could feel her face had flushed a bright red as Barbra realized she was finally caught.

**B&B**

"Good luck my friend!" the Penguin called from the doorway. "I know you will be successful tonight!"

He stared at the squat little toad, and for a brief moment, thought about killing him right then and there. It would be all too easy; just stab a razor-sharp icicle through his heart--assuming the Penguin actually had one. Perhaps he should just stab the Penguin through the eyeball, piercing his brain and killing him instantly.

But there was the chance that the little slug might actually be telling the truth, that Nora had indeed been abducted by Petrov and Cho--and the last thing he wanted was to risk Nora's life by killing the only ally he had right now, no matter how repulsive the Penguin was. And so he would dutifully hunt down the others, in the hopes of finding Nora.

However, he had decided that if Petrov and Cho wound up being a dead end, then he would come back here and torture the Penguin, just to see what he knew about Nora's abduction.

'Either way,' he thought, 'this ends tonight. I will either find Nora, alive, or else I shall start killing my way through Gotham City's underworld--and I shall keep killing until I find her.'

"Give them hell, Freeze!" the Penguin called to him, as he left the basement through the secret passageway.

He had actually smiled beneath the ice that covered his face. For little did the Penguin realize the kind of hell that he would bring down on all of them if he did not find his beloved tonight.

It would be a hell made completely of ice, formed by his insatiable rage.

**B&B**

After seeing the abominable snowman off, the Penguin quickly ran upstairs, where he saw Lazlo and his men getting ready. They were all strapped with automatic weapons, which were well hidden beneath the long overcoats that they now were putting on.

The Penguin's cigarette holder shot up as he smiled. "I have to admit, Lazlo, when I said I wanted the Lewis bitch dead, I had no idea you would go this far! Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

"The extra gear is just in case we run into the Batman," Lazlo said. "You can never be too careful, boss."

"You may not even see the Batman," the Penguin told him. "What with having to avoid the police, and with Mr. Freeze now on the loose, our dear Dark Knight will certainly have his hands full tonight! Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

**B&B**

As officer Kate Farlane sat in the briefing room, listening to her duty sergeant talk about the newly issued arrest warrant on the Batman, she could not help but have a very uneasy feeling that tonight was going to be a bad one. For one thing, she thought it was very wrong that the Gotham City police was even going after the Batman. Her new partner, Glen Burns, was a twelve year veteran of the force who never cared for the Batman, and thought it was about time that they were finally going after him.

But Kate still vividly remembered back to when she was just a rookie, working with her first partner, Chuck, on the night when the Riddler launched his insidious attack on the city. She recalled the horror of watching the Riddler and his men, seated in those spider-like robots, coldly sweeping away the police cars that arrived at the scene. Chuck was in one of those cars, and Kate had found herself scared and alone as she faced down one of those mechanical monsters. Despite the fact that she had fired upon it--with her bullets having no effect--the robot had merely walked past her, because she was not a real threat. Kate had never felt so useless, and helpless, than she did at that moment.

But the Batman, working with Superman and Supergirl, had stopped them. Kate saw the pictures of the Batman battling the Riddler in his spider robot on a street in Gotham City, and she had cheered for the Dark Knight, and she had also privately thanked him for restoring the peace--as well as the honor--back to Gotham City.

And, now, as a Gotham City police officer sworn to uphold the law, Kate was forced to hunt the Dark Knight down, as if he were any other street thug. It was enough to make her cry--but she didn't; Kate kept back her tears of sorrow and frustration because she was a professional, and also because she didn't want to give Glen the satisfaction.

Yet as they walked out to their patrol car in the parking lot after the briefing, Kate paused as an ominous feeling of dread overcame her. She glanced around, and saw that the few trees, which had been planted around the parking lot, were all still. The very air was filled with the same type of electic charge just before a bad storm. It seemed to her that Gotham City itself realized something was about to happen, something very bad, and was holding its collective breath in anticipation.

"Hey, you all right?" Glen called to her.

Kate nodded and lied to him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Then let's go, already! The night beckons!"

Kate started walking towards the patrol car with a smile plastered on her face. Deep down, she still felt as if something dreadful was about to happen tonight--a major collision of opposing forces in the very streets of Gotham. She couldn't shake that feeling. It was the same sensation of dread that Kate felt the night she faced the Riddler's spider robots.

"Well," Glen cheerily said, as he started up their patrol car, "here we are, starting just another routine night patrol in Gotham City."

'I hope so,' Kate thought. She still couldn't shake the foreboding feeling of an impending catastrophe--one that they were both headed straight into. 'Oh, God, I sure hope so….'

**To be continued....**


	8. Chapter 8

_I'd like to thank Zarathustra1030, RebelByrdie and D.J. Scales for their kind words of support. Thanks, guys!_

**Batman & Benson 4**

**Chapter Eight**

"Did you fight her yet?"

Robin looked over at Batman, who stared straight ahead at the darkened street as he drove the Tumbler.

"Did I fight who?" Robin asked.

"Barbra," Batman replied. He never took his eyes off the road. "Did you fight her in the gym yet?"

"Yeah, I did," Robin answered, taken aback. "How did you know--?"

"I know _you_, Robin," Batman said, with just the slightest of smiles. "I knew that once you've heard Barbra had become a karate expert, you couldn't resist fighting her. Well, how is she? Any good?"

"She's so good it's stunning," Robin said honestly. "She's combined what she's learned in karate with her gymnastics, Batman. And, from what I've seen, it's pretty damned impressive."

"You think she's ready for the streets?"

"I-I don't know." Robin stared at him with alarm. "You're not seriously thinking of letting her go out as Batgirl, are you?"

"With the way things are going, Robin, I don't see us as having any choice in the matter." Batman glanced over at him. "It's like I once told you: Barbra Gordon is a very determined young woman."

"I suppose we should be just grateful that she's on our side," Robin said, with a smile.

His smile vanished when they passed a police car at an intersection. "Uh-oh," Robin said. "Well, maybe they didn't notice us…."

**B&B**

'Damn it,' Kate thought, as she watched the massive dark shape of the Tumbler speed past them in the intersection. So far, their patrol had been very peaceful and quiet, and Kate was almost convinced that God had answered her prayers--that they would not run into the Dark Knight at all tonight.

Until now.

"Call it in!" her partner, Glen, shouted. He switched on the emergency lights and siren as he ignored the red light and drove their patrol car into the street at high speed in pursuit.

"Batman sighted at intersection of Loeb and Miller," Kate reported into the dispatch radio. "We are now in pursuit of Batman west on Loeb."

"Acknowledged, unit 27," the police dispatch operator replied. "In pursuit of Batman, west on Loeb. All units, all units: Batman sighted headed west on Loeb. Presently in pursuit by unit 27."

'Well, now it's finally begun….' Kate thought with dread, as she listened to the police dispatch radio as it alerted every police officer in Gotham City to the present whereabouts of the Batman.

She braced herself, grateful to be wearing her seatbelt, as Glen raced to keep up with the Tumbler.

**B&B**

"They noticed us," Batman said grimly, as he glanced up in the rear view monitor and saw the squealing police car with the flashing lights that gave chase to them. "Hold on."

He pulled the Tumbler into a tight turn down the first side street that came up.

"Man, I never thought I'd see the day when we'd be running from the cops," Robin said dismally.

"You should have been around during the first year," Batman told him, as he flicked a switch on the console. "In my early days, before Gordon became commissioner, I was ducking cops every single night I went out."

"What button did you just hit?" Robin asked.

"Look in the view screen."

When Robin glanced up at the monitor, he couldn't see anything but a solid grey wall behind them. Then, when he realized what it was, he smiled. "Hope they're smart enough to know to stop."

**B&B**

"Now in pursuit down Adams Drive," Kate reported to the police dispatch. She updated their chase once the Tumbler made the tight turn in front of them.

To his credit, Glen had effortlessly pulled their patrol car right down the side street after Batman. "He ain't getting away from us, Katie!"

'In your dreams,' Kate thought, once she saw a large puff of smoke shoot out from the back of the Tumbler. The thick grey smoke quickly surrounded them like a wall of fog. They could not see beyond the hood of their car.

And yet Glen kept driving.

"Glen, stop," Kate nervously said.

"It'll break up," Glen told her, as he sped the car through the soup-like fog.

"Glen, stop the car, now!" Kate cried in a full blown panic. "You can't see anything!"

"Quit your griping, Katie; it'll break--oh, sweet Jesus!"

Glen was right; the smoke did break up--just in time for them to see they were barreling straight towards a parked truck.

Although she wore her seat belt, Kate still assumed the crash position by pulling her knees up to her chest and placing her hands together behind her neck.

Yet with a loud screech from the tires, Glen was able to bring their patrol car to a halt within inches of the truck.

Kate let out a heavy sigh of relief as she relaxed once more in her seat. "I told you--"

"Don't start in with me," Glen growled at her. Once the smoke had completely dissipated, he shook his head in annoyance when he saw that he had driven them off the street and right onto the loading dock of a company that was closed down for the night.

Glen back up until they were on the street again. But just as he was about to race off again, he stopped and stared at the street ahead of them.

It was empty. There was no sign of the Tumbler whatsoever.

Kate couldn't help but smile as she picked up the dispatch radio and said, "Central, we lost them on Adams. I repeat: we lost the Batman on Adams."

"Do you have to be so goddamned happy about it?!" Glen angrily asked. "Of all the people I had to be partnered with, why'd it have to be a Bat-groupie?!"

Kate just rolled her eyes in disgust.

**B&B**

The Penguin told him that Martin Petrov would be in a specific warehouse by the docks tonight. What was it with these criminals, that they spent their every waking moment in crummy, run-down warehouses?

Since there was no other way in, he decided to go in through the front garage doors--the direct approach would be the best. Forming an icy sledgehammer over his right fist, he slammed the garage door down with one swing.

But once he entered the darkened warehouse, he was covered with large, heavy nets--which had been flung over him by men on catwalks above. Before he could react, other men came out from the shadows and secured the nets down to the floors with nail guns. He couldn't move.

For now.

The lights came on, and he saw Petrov staring down triumphantly at him from a second story office. "Mr. Freeze, I presume," Petrov said, with a thick Russian accent. He gestured at his armed men with a broad sweep of his hands. "You are surprised at reception, yes?"

Petrov strode to the railing and casually leaned on it. "I knew you were coming, my friend. You do not survive on the mean streets of Moscow for as long as I have without learning who your enemies are, and having a plan on how to deal with them. Just like I have dealt with you."

Petrov gestured with one hand, and his men opened up with automatic weapons. He stood there silently as the bullets bounced off of his thick, icy armor.

The fools….

After he tore apart the netting with his razor-sharp ice claws, he then proceeded to tear apart the men who shot at him. He worked his way towards the office, where Petrov was already turning to make his getaway. He was still too far away to reach.

He closed his hand into a tight fist, and when he opened it, an icicle lay in his massive palm. The end of the icicle was tapered to a fine point. He carefully watched Petrov, gauging the distance, and then flung the icicle like a javelin. It impaled Petrov in the shoulder against the brick wall of the office, where it held him in place.

After he climbed to the second floor, and strode over to Petrov, the mobster feebly tried to fight back by raising a gun at him. Yet after firing two shots--and seeing what little effect they had--Petrov dropped the gun.

"I know…when I am…beaten," he said fatalistically. He looked to be in a lot of pain, thanks to the icicle that protruded from his shoulder. "I hope…the Penguin…pays you well…my friend…."

He blew out a chunk of ice in front of his mouth and said, "The Penguin tells me you have my wife, Nora. He told me that you were working with Tommy Cho when you abducted her."

Petrov actually smiled broadly at that. "So the Penguin…is _not_ paying you…after all! It appears…that you are not the only one…capable of a snow job, my friend…."

"So it would appear," he said. He clenched his right fist, and felt the ice forming over it once more. "I _will _find my wife tonight; I will search your warehouse, I will search over the bodies of _all_ of those in the Gotham City underworld, if need be."

"You are truly…a determined man, my friend," Petrov said with sincerity.

He raised his fist, which was once more encased in an icy sledgehammer shape, and slammed it into Petrov's head.

"I am merely a man who loves his wife," he told the now headless corpse.

After he ransacked the warehouse, and found nothing, he headed out to see Tommy Cho. And after he met with Cho--and if he still found nothing--he would finally have a long-delayed little chat with the Penguin.

**B&B**

"Come in, Harvey, Renee," Gordon said, as he paced behind his desk. He grimly gestured to a police squawk box on the desk. "It's started. They're hunting him now."

Renee was disheartened to hear the dispatch operator calling out Batman's last known position. Several police units responded, sounding confident that they were close to catching the Dark Knight.

'How did we let it come to this?' Renee thought sadly. 'Batman was a true, unsung hero, and now we're treating him just like any other scum….'

As he listened to the chatter on the dispatch radio, Harvey shook his head. "All due respect, Commish, but having our boys and girls hunt the Batman is like having the sheep hunt the wolf. Our guys are good, but they're kidding themselves if they truly think they're in the same league as the Bat."

When Renee gave him an appreciative smile, Harvey said, "Well, it's true, y'know! Bats and me may have our disagreements, but ya gotta give the devil his due."

"I know," Gordon said with a nod. "But that's not why I called you two in here. The main reason we're even hunting Batman is because of the Penguin's assault charge against the Dark Knight."

"Which was helped immeasurably by the surveillance video which showed Batman assaulting the little slug," Renee said.

"Surveillance video which was later released to the press," Gordon angrily added. "Without my knowledge or consent! And thanks to this being released publicly, neither I, nor the mayor, could squash the whole thing."

"Yeah, ain't that funny," Harvey replied, his tone suspicious. "You'd think whoever released that footage was working for the Penguin."

"That's what I suspect," Gordon told them. He placed a file on the table. "And that's who I think is responsible."

When Renee leafed through the file, with Harvey looking over her shoulder, she saw that it belonged to Jonathan Pressman, a uniformed police officer with two years on the force.

"The night Batman paid the Penguin a visit, I'm told that the surveillance team instantly shut down their operations, including all their cameras," Gordon told them. "This was something that they decided to do on their own, as a favor to Batman. But Pressman kept recording, and he was the one who got the shot of Batman threatening the Penguin and who officially filed it as evidence."

"And you think he's the one who released the video to the media?" Harvey asked.

"That's what I want you two to find out," Gordon said. "If Pressman's dirty in any way, I want to know."

"Isn't this a case better suited for Internal Affairs?" Renee asked.

"This is a case better suited for a pair of cops whom I trust," Gordon told her. "And that's you two."

"You got it, Commish," Harvey said, after exchanging a nod with Renee. "We'll let you know what we find out."

**B&B**

When they arrived at the home of Marlene Lewis' sister, Lazlo positioned the men so that they surrounded the house--then he went in with Greene and Benkman. They were all armed with semiautomatic weapons that were equipped with silencers. It was a simple matter of breaking into a side door and moving slowly and carefully up the steps to the main house.

The faint noise from the living room told them where their targets would be. When they entered the living room, the TV was on--yet nobody was watching it. Benkman pointed over at the computer desk at the far side of the room. Lazlo nodded when he saw there was someone seated in the high-backed chair. He knew that Marlene's sister was out of town; so their target was home all alone.

'All too easy,' Lazlo thought with a smile, as he prepared to blow away the stupid bitch who sat there.

The chair swiveled around, and Lazlo was stunned to see Robin was seated in it. He waved at them and good-naturedly said, "Hey, what took you guys? I've been waiting here forever!"

"Oh, fu--" Benkman started to say--just before he and Lazlo were both tackled to the floor by a shadowy shape that shot out from the doorway next to them.

It was Batman.

The Dark Knight slugged Benkman into unconsciousness before he could even draw his gun. Lazlo, who was still stunned at this development--as well as having been knocked down to the floor--reached for his gun, only to find that his hands were empty. His semi-auto was knocked from his grip when he fell to the floor. All Lazlo could do now was watch in amazement as Robin dropped Greene with two punches--even before Greene could get a shot off.

The Dark Knight stood up and then hauled the stunned Lazlo up by his lapels.

"Well well," Batman said right into Lazlo's face. "If it isn't my favorite punching bag. Looking for Marlene?"

"Instead he found us," Robin said, as he stepped over the prone body of Greene on the floor. He discreetly gazed out the window. "Batman, there's more of them out there."

"Open the front door, Robin."

When Robin did, Lazlo let out a yelp as Batman threw him through the doorway. He rolled painfully down the concrete steps and landed in a heap on the sidewalk.

The other men whom he left out on the street (ironically, their job was to keep watch for the Dark Knight) took one look at the roughed up Lazlo, then they glanced warily at each other--and _then_ they all broke into a mad, frenzied dash for the cars.

"Boy, what loyalty," Robin sarcastically said, as he and Batman watched Lazlo's men all take off. "It's really touching to see…."

Batman reached down and hauled up the stunned Lazlo by his lapels once more. "How loyal are _you_, Lazlo? How far are you willing to go to protect the Penguin?"

"W-Wha-what do you want?" Lazlo asked. At this point, now that he was effectively caught, he was willing to answer anything the Dark Knight wanted to know. To hell with his former boss, the Penguin; Lazlo had to look out for himself, right now. "Just tell me what you want. Name it."

"Where's Nora Fries?" the Batman demanded.

Lazlo grew cold with fear. Batman had to ask the one question that he didn't know the answer to. "I-I don't know…."

"DON'T YOU DARE LIE TO ME!" Batman bellowed.

"I-I'm not, I swear," Lazlo quickly told him. "Look, the Penguin's got Nora Fries, all right? You're right, he was the one who had her abducted. B-But I don't know where she is--nobody but the two guys who actually kidnapped her knows where Nora is, and that was how the Penguin set it up."

When they could hear sirens in the distance, the Batman turned to his partner and said, "Robin, get Marlene in the Tumbler. I'll be with you in a second."

Lazlo grunted in pain as Batman tied his wrists around a telephone pole. When he was done, Batman said, "Are you willing to testify in court against the Penguin regarding the kidnapping of Nora Fries?"

"Yeah, sure," Lazlo glumly agreed. He was about to be arrested by the cops. What choice did he have now but to cut a deal?

"I'll hold you to that." The Batman leaned into him. "Now give me the names of the two men who kidnapped Nora Fries."

"Bruno Lansky and Emil Rondos," Lazlo quickly replied. "But, like I said, I don't know where they are."

"Don't worry, I'll find them," the Batman growled. "And, if I discover that you've been lying to me about any of this--then I'll find _you_, no matter where you wind up. Count on it."

The Batman stormed back inside the house, leaving Lazlo tied to the pole just as the first patrol car pulled up with lights flashing.

"The Penguin ain't paying me enough for this crap, anyway," Lazlo said with a sigh. He held his bound hands up in surrender when the police ran up to him with their guns drawn.

**B&B**

Olivia was hunched around the Batcomputer with everyone else, watching the breaking news about the death of up and coming mobster Martin Petrov at the hands of Mr. Freeze, when Barbra abruptly sat up and urgently placed her hands on the headphones she wore.

"Liv!" Barbra said. "It's Batman! He wants to talk to you!"

Olivia placed one of the headphones up against her right ear after Barbra handed it to her. She made sure to speak into the thin microphone. "Yes, Batman?"

"Huntress," he said, "we've got Marlene Lewis and are in the process of bringing her over to police headquarters. It would help if there was a friendly face to greet us."

"Right, I'm on my way," Olivia said, disconcerted that the Batman called her by a name that she hated. "Bring her in via the service entrance around back, it'll be empty this time of night.

"Got it, Huntress. Meet you there."

"Um, Batman, why are you calling me by that--?"

"Because I can't speak freely in the Tumbler with our passenger," Batman told her. "Also, make sure Gordon knows that one of the men who was arrested at Marlene's house--Brendan Lazlo--is willing to testify against the Penguin. He also just gave us information that could help track down Nora Fries. Now please put Batgirl back on."

After Olivia handed Barbra back the headphones, the girl listened, and then started typing in a pair of names into the criminal database of the Batcomputer: Bruno Lansky and Emil Rondos. "Got it, Batman," Barbra said. "As soon as the computer hits on something, I'll let you know right away."

Olivia turned to the others and said, "They have Marlene Lewis and are taking her to headquarters. I've got to go and greet them. They also got a lead on where Nora might be, and one of the Penguin's men, who's now being arrested, has indicated that he'd be willing to testify against his ex-boss."

"That's great!" Alex said, smiling. "We should go with you."

"We _are_ coming with you," Rachel said, as she and Alex walked with Olivia to the elevator. "I've just got to get a pair of shoes, first."

"Good luck, ladies," Alfred called, as he stood next to Barbra at the Batcomputer.

"Thanks, Alfred," Alex said with a wave just as the elevator doors closed. As they rode up to the second story, she asked Olivia, "What did Batman call you when you were speaking to him?"

"He couldn't speak freely in the Tumbler, because Marlene was with them," Olivia explained with an annoyed look, "so he called me the Huntress."

Alex let out a little squeal of delight. "So now even the Batman is calling you the Huntress? Great!" She gave Rachel a big grin. "Now it's finally official; I'm a superhero's girlfriend!"

"Welcome to the club, sister," Rachel jokingly said, as she and Alex gave each other a fist bump.

"Oh, man," Olivia muttered, with an embarrassed shake of her head. "I'm never going to live this down…."

When they emerged on the ground floor of the Manor, Rachel grabbed a pair of loafers from a closet in the foyer and stuffed them in her purse. "I'll put them on in the car," she told them, as they went outside. "We don't have a moment to lose."

Olivia put the red cherry emergency light on the roof of her car and broke several different traffic laws as she raced back to the city in record time. When she caught Alex staring at her with a big smile, Olivia said, "What?"

"I'm just imaging what your superhero costume would look like," Alex said, with a dreamy look in her eyes. "Remember the outfit that we discussed during the Caribbean trip? That black string bikini you wore?"

"No!" Olivia said firmly. "As I recall, you were the one doing most of the talking about that silly topic…."

"You want Olivia's superhero outfit to be just a black string bikini?" Rachel skeptically said from the back seat, where she had just finished putting her shoes on. A reddish brown, they were badly mismatched with her outfit, but that didn't really matter right now.

"Why not?" Alex asked. "Olivia wears it very well."

"You pervert," Rachel jokingly muttered. She glanced at Olivia with a smile and added, "Now I see why you put up with her!"

"Oh, she certainly has her charms," Olivia said, as she gave Alex a loving look. She glanced up as she pulled around the corner at a familiar building. "We're here."

Olivia pulled the car into the police parking garage, and then swung it around to the back, towards the service entrance. There were no other cars present--at least that was what Olivia thought until the Tumbler seemingly melted out from the shadows.

Olivia got out and waved as the top of the Tumbler opened up. Batman helped Marlene Lewis out of the Tumbler. "You remember Inspector Benson, Marlene," Batman said. "She'll take care of you from here on out."

"Hello, Marlene," Olivia said. "It's good to see you're all right."

"Good to see you're ok, too!" Marlene said. "I thought you wuz killed by Wonder Woman!"

'Yeah, I thought I was going to be killed, too,' Olivia thought--but she left that unspoken. "I can assure you that everything's under control now. You're safe here. Just come inside with us."

As Olivia led Marlene to the side door, she and Batman exchanged a slight nod. He got back in the Tumbler and drove off.

Alex and Rachel waited for them by the door. Olivia introduced Marlene to Rachel, while Alex spoke on a cell phone. As Rachel escorted Marlene inside, Alex grabbed Olivia's arm as she closed her cell. "The name of the guy who's willing to talk is Brendan Lazlo, right?" Alex asked.

When Olivia nodded, Alex continued, "They're bringing him in with the others for booking, now. But I'm having Lazlo separated from the others; he'll be in an SVU interrogation room, where I can get a crack at him while he's still willing to rat on the Penguin."

"Great," Olivia said, with a smile. "We've now got two witnesses against the Penguin."

As they walked into the hallway, Marlene--who stood speaking with Rachel--abruptly turned to all of them and asked, "Hey, Which one of youse is the Huntress?"

'Oh, Christ,' Olivia thought with dread. It was bad enough that her Huntress moniker was a private joke between all of them, but now it was spreading outside of their social circle--which was something that Olivia had long dreaded.

"Um, none of us," Rachel replied.

"I heard Batman talking to somebody named the Huntress," Marlene said. "Is she a new superhero?"

"If she is, _I_ haven't heard of her," Alex said with a shrug.

"If you'll just come with me, Marlene," Rachel said, quickly changing the subject. "We can have our chat upstairs in one of the SVU offices."

"I'll go see about Lazlo," Alex privately told Olivia.

Olivia squeezed her arm and said, sotto voce, "Ok. And thanks for nipping the Huntress rumors in the bud, babe."

"Anytime," Alex replied with a grin. She placed her lips to Olivia's ear and whispered: "I'm now charged with protecting your superhero identity, just like how Rachel protects Bruce's. This superhero gig is fun!"

Olivia just gave Alex an annoyed look as she watched her lover walk away. She truly loved Alex with all of her heart. But there were times, like now, when Alex could be so infuriating.

"Liv?" Rachel called from the elevator. "You coming up with us?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," Olivia said with a sigh, as she walked over to join them. 'Just let me get my cape and mask, and I'll be right with you,' she thought sardonically. 'Evil-doers beware; here comes the frigging Huntress to save the day….'

**B&B**

"Batgirl," Batman asked over the radio, "any news on Lansky and Rondos?"

"According to the prison records, they were cell mates," she reported. "They were released separately, about six months apart. I'm tracking down both of their last known addresses right now. Hey, you guys heard about Petrov, right? Mr. Freeze just hit him, hard."

"Yeah," Robin replied. "I wouldn't want to be Tommy Cho right now; he's next on Mr. Freeze's hit list."

"Yes," Batman said thoughtfully, as he brought the Tumbler to a halt. "Tommy Cho _is_ next…and that's where we're most likely to find Freeze."

The Tumbler's tires screeched as the Batman brought the monster around in a full 180 degree turn. "Batgirl," he said, "look up the file on Tommy Cho. Confirm for me that his family still owns the Sang Lee Gardens restaurant."

"Ok," Batgirl said. After a short pause, she added, "Got it! Yes, they still do own the restaurant, Batman. In fact, there's a notation right here that says Tommy spends his nights there working with his wife."

"Then that's where we're going," Batman said.

"Finding Nora can wait, huh?" Robin asked.

"No, it can't," Batman curtly responded. "I'd still rather face Freeze with the news that we have Nora safe and sound--nothing better to take the fight out of him than the fact that his wife is all right. But, for now, since we know where Freeze will strike next, we've got to stop him before he can kill again. Batgirl, you keep looking up whatever you can on Lansky and Rondos. Call us the minute you got something."

"You got it, Batman."

"You know, there are some who would say Freeze is doing the city a favor," Robin said. "He's just been wiping out gangsters, after all."

"Who elected him judge, jury and executioner?" Batman grumbled. "Besides, Robin, the Sang Lee Gardens is a very popular restaurant. If Freeze attacks now, while they're at the height of dinner time--"

"Oh, whoa," Robin muttered, with a shake of his head. "Yeah, that's right! There'll be plenty of innocent people there tonight. Good point, Batman. Just hope Tommy doesn't mind if we stopped by tonight without any reservations."

"I have a feeling he won't mind at all," Batman said grimly, as he drove into the night.

**B&B**

When Glen pulled their patrol car up to the scene of the crime, Kate was amazed to see the level of destruction that had been caused to the warehouse. 'And it was all caused by one man,' she realized, as she got out of the car. 'Well, assuming you can call Mr. Freeze a man….'

Bobby Desoto, a fellow patrolman from their precinct, waved his hands at them as they walked up to the warehouse. "We got this covered," he told them. "There ain't much for anybody to do at this point but mop up."

Kate gaped at the smashed-in garage door. "I take it the reports are true, Mr. Freeze was here, huh?"

"Yeah, he was gunning for Martin Petrov, and he got him," Bobby confirmed. Then he chuckled. "You know, the mob intel boys at police headquarters must be having a field day; Freeze is wiping out all the major players for them."

Before they could continue the conversation any further, Kate and her fellow officers' dispatch radios all blared about an attack by Mr. Freeze…on a Chinese restaurant.

"What the hell?" Kate asked, dumbfounded. "Why's he attacking Sang Lee's?"

"Let's go find out, Katie!" Glen said, as he ran back to their patrol car.

"And here I thought the excitement was over for tonight," Kate muttered with disgust, as she got back into the patrol car.

**B&B**

Michael Kale let out a heavy sigh as he viewed the menu. Everything looked great, especially the spicy Dragon Ribs dish with the snow peas--but the problem was everything was also very expensive, as well.

'Guess I could put this on the credit card,' he glumly thought. 'Assuming there's any money _left_ on the card….'

Yet when he glanced up at his wife and kids--who sat huddled around the table, carefully reading the menus--Michael realized that this was a family moment that was simply worth it, whatever the expense. Their table was right next to the scenic gardens that dominated the interior of the restaurant; this was turning out to be a really special night. Then Michael frowned when he saw his only son, Mikey. With his wife Betty busy chattering with the girls, Michael saw that his youngest child ignored his menu as he waved to somebody out of Michael's line of sight.

"Mikey, read your menu and select something, or else you won't know what to order when the waiter comes over," Michael told him. But when the toddler just kept waving, Michael shook his head. "Who are you waving at, anyway?"

"The snowman, daddy," Mikey said with a giggle.

"Now, Mikey, what has daddy told you about making up imaginary friends?"

"Sweet suffering Jesus!" Betty abruptly screamed.

"Honey!" Michael chided her. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't swear in front of the kids, anymore!"

Mikey's face suddenly grew solemn as Michael heard a loud crashing sound from behind him. "Uh-oh, I think the snowman's mad, Daddy…."

"Wha--?" Michael said, as he glanced over his shoulder and saw a seven foot tall, ice-covered man stride right out of the gardens. Instead of stepping over the railing, the iceman smashed straight through it--scaring away dozens of diners, who all ran in fear.

"What the hell is going on?" Michael shouted, as he and his family abandoned their table and also ran for their lives. He picked Mikey up in his arms. "Jesus Christ!"

"Daddy," little Mikey chided him with a gasp, "you're swearing!"

**B&B**

Several of the waiters had actually tried to bravely fight him, but it was--of course--a futile guesture. He swatted them away with his massive ice claws as if they were no more than mere bugs.

When he saw that several of the waiters were huddling together to protect a well-dressed woman, he went after their group. After flinging the men away with hardly any effort, he grabbed the struggling woman by the neck and raised her up. He held her so they were face to face, and after he blew a chunk of ice from his mouth, he said, "I am looking for Tommy Cho."

"What do you want with my husband?!" the terrified woman cried.

'Husband?' he thought, as a smile spread across his lips. He realized that he held Tommy Cho's wife in his hands. How fortunate.

Not for her, of course….

He continued to smile as he raised one hand, and allowed the icicles on his fingertips to grow into unnaturally long, razor-sharp claws. The woman stared in terror at this.

"I wish to give your husband a message," he told her. "No need for you to remember anything--I'll simply write the message on your corpse…."

Yet before he could even slash her, he was painfully startled when a liquid was abruptly sprayed all over him. Dropping the woman, it was now his turn to stare in horror as the ice--the thick impenetrable armor that always protected him--now fell away from his arm in melting chunks.

Enraged, he glanced over at the cause of this great insult. And he saw the one man who would dare to do this to him.

The Batman.

**B&B**

"It's over, Freeze," Batman said, as he held up the anti-freeze nozzle at the iceman. He glanced down at the woman--Tommy Cho's wife--and added, "Get out of here, now!"

She quickly scrambled into the kitchen as Mr. Freeze turned to face the Batman. "You are becoming a pest, Batman."

"Good," Batman replied, as he shot him with another blast of anti-freeze.

But this time, Mr. Freeze was ready for him. Raising his hands, he created an ice wall between him and the Dark Knight.

Batman saw that the decicer was melting through the wall, but in addition to this barrier, Mr. Freeze had also created a mini snow storm within the restaurant that had a similar white-out condition as a blizzard. Batman could barely see his hands in the icy mists.

'The moisture from the garden is probably feeding him,' Batman thought, as he stood ready for an attack. 'Knowing Freeze, he'll use the ice wall as a diversion while he sneaks around, and--'

Batman tactical musings were interrupted when Freeze burst straight through the ice wall that he'd created. Batman let out a grunt as he just barely dodged a blast of ice cold air that Freeze shot at him with his hand.

Yet when he brought up the deicer nozzle, Batman saw that it was frozen over. No matter how many times he squeezed the trigger, nothing would come out. Freeze didn't aim at Batman directly, but at his weapon--and his aim was true. Batman's deicer weapon was now effectively out of action.

Mr. Freeze, sensing his triumph, let out a roar of fury as he charged full bore at Batman with his massive ice claws.

As Batman watched the enraged Mr. Freeze advance right at him, he grimly thought, 'This is gonna be interesting….'

**To Be Continued.....**


	9. Chapter 9

_I'd like to thank FrozenFire676, Zarathustra1030 and RebelByrdie for their kind words._

**Batman & Benson**** 4**

**Chapter 9**

Batman stood rooted to the ground as Mr. Freeze charged straight at him. Batman waited until the last possible moment--then he flung a Batarang right at Mr. Freeze's face. Mr. Freeze's assault was halted as he swatted at the Batarang, which now stuck out with the tip of its metal wing that was embedded within the ice which covered Freeze's head.

Batman used the momentary lull to make a mental note of his opponent's overall attitude. For all the power and strength that Mr. Freeze had, he lacked one thing: patience. He got angry and flustered very easily--even now, he let a simple distraction like the Batarang wind him up.

'And that,' Batman realized, 'is his Achilles' Heel.'

While Freeze still fiddled with the Batarang that was stuck in his icy faceplate, Batman moved over to the doorway and called, "What's the matter, Freeze? Too dumb to even remove a little piece of metal from your face?"

Freeze literally roared at that remark as he snapped the Batarang away and lunged at the Batman once more. The seven foot tall iceman was now fully enraged with a murderous fury.

And that was just how Batman wanted him.

The Batman shoved his way through the front doors and emerged into a small plaza that the restaurant shared with several retail stores. Most of the customers were assembled out here, all nervously watching as two uniformed police officers--a man and a woman--ran up to Batman with their guns drawn.

"Put your hands up now!" the male cop shouted at the Batman.

"You two might want to take cover," Batman warned them.

The female cop's eyes grew wide with terror when she saw what was coming at them from directly behind Batman. "Glen," she shouted, "let's do what he says! Now!"

Batman turned in time to see Mr. Freeze smash his way through the front doors like a runaway freight train, with debris flying all over the plaza. Batman tapped the comm device in his ear and said, "Robin, he's just outside the main doors. Go to plan 'B,' now."

"Got it, Batman," Robin replied.

Batman stepped further out into the plaza in order to draw Mr. Freeze away from the shattered restaurant. Batman saw that the ice on Mr. Freeze's right fist had grown twice its normal size, and was shaped into that of a sledgehammer. Mr. Freeze swung it at him, but Batman expertly ducked out of the way.

Freeze blew out a chunk of ice from the lower half of his face and said, "Still feeling puckish, Batman?"

When Batman heard a very familiar rumbling sound increase in volume, he backed away and said, "Yes. In fact, pucker up, Freeze; because you're about to be kissed."

Mr. Freeze looked momentarily confused--just before the Tumbler appeared and slammed right into him. The impact from the Tumbler sent Freeze careening off to the side, where he crashed into a dumpster.

As Batman ran over to where Freeze lay, he quickly stripped off the thin tank of deicer that was strapped to his back. Since the nozzle was no longer working, there was still another way to make this work. He stuck an exploding pellet on the tank and tossed it into the air directly over Freeze.

When the pellet exploded a few seconds later, the tank was still airborne as it ripped open and sprayed the prone Mr. Freeze with the deicer.

"Should I hit him with the rockets, Batman?" Robin's voice asked in the comm unit in Batman's ear. The Tumbler was armed with rocket launchers, which would pack quite a punch right about now.

But Batman shook his head. Freeze writhed in pain on the ground as a large chunk of the ice that covered his body had melted away, exposing part of his arm and chest. Shooting him with rockets may very well kill him at this point. "No, Robin. Hold off on the rockets for now. Let me see if I can reach him."

Batman strode towards the stricken man and said, "Victor, your wife was abducted by the Penguin. We have the names of the men who kidnapped her, and we're doing everything in our power to find her. You can stop--"

Batman ducked low to the ground as Mr. Freeze suddenly picked up the dumpster and flung it right at the Tumbler. The massive dumpster caused an ear shattering racket as it collided with the Tumbler, but the heavily armored vehicle was none worse for wear.

When Batman saw Mr. Freeze had gotten to his feet, he realized that the iceman was not as badly injured as he had thought. He tapped the comm device on his ear and shouted, "Robin, open fire!"

The Tumbler shot off two rockets, both of which struck home on Mr. Freeze's side and back as he ran away. The blasts from the rocket blew off chunks of ice, but they didn't even slow Freeze as he crashed straight through a wooden fence that led to an alley.

Batman raced after Freeze, and saw him tear open a sewer grating just before he dropped down into the sewer--it was the same escape plan he had after their first meeting. Batman was about to give chase, until he heard Robin's voice in his ear: "Uh, Batman…the natives are getting restless…."

Batman turned back and saw a group of police officers had surrounded the Tumbler with their guns drawn.

"I could take them on," Robin said over the radio, "but I don't want to hurt them."

"Don't do anything," Batman told him. "I've got this. Just open the hatch when I tell you to."

As Batman ran over to the assembled police, he tossed a smoke pellet over their heads, as well as a handful on the ground at their feet. When the pellets exploded, the police exclaimed in surprise as the area surrounding the Tumbler quickly became covered in thick smoke.

Batman charged into the smoke and came upon a female officer from behind. It looked like the same woman officer who had drawn her gun on him earlier with her partner. As she helplessly coughed from the smoke, Batman disarmed her and gently placed her down on the ground, far away from the path of the Tumbler. He saw that her name tag read Kate Farlane. He placed her gun within reach before her on the ground. 'Kate will find it once the smoke clears,' Batman thought.

"Just stay down, keep breathing in shallow breaths," Batman told her, "and you'll be fine."

"I'm sorry," Officer Kate Farlane whispered, in-between her coughs. And Batman was surprised to see that she was sincere. "For having to hunt you like this. You-you don't deserve it…."

"I know it's nothing personal," Batman assured her. "You're just doing your job."

Batman climbed up onto the Tumbler and told Robin to open the hatch. He didn't even wait until he was completely inside before he told Robin to punch it.

As Robin drove the Tumbler down the very same alley that Mr. Freeze escaped in, Batman sat down next to him and shut the roof hatch of the Tumbler.

"Let's head back to the Penguin's nightclub," Batman said. "If Freeze is headed anywhere, it'll be there."

"We got a call from Batgirl," Robin told him. "Since you were busy battling Mr. Freeze, I told her to hold."

"Batgirl?" Batman called. "You have a message for me?"

"I found an address for Rondos and Lansky," she triumphantly told them. "It's Lansky's mother's house--340 West Timm Drive. Since they're no longer on parole, they're free to go wherever they want. And Lansky's mother is deceased, and I figured--"

"--that might be where they are," Batman said, with a nod. "Good work, Batgirl. Robin, forget the Penguin's nightclub. Let's pay a visit to Mr. Lansky, instead."

**B&B**

"Mr. Brendan Lazlo?" Alex said, as she entered the interrogation room. "I'm Alexandra Cabot, the ADA for the Special Victims Unit. I'm told that you have something to say to us."

Lazlo regarded her with a suspicious look as he sat with his wrists handcuffed to the table. "Oh? Really?"

'Damn, he's already changing his mind,' Alex thought, as she took a seat across from him. Still, she hid her feelings behind a poker face. "Whether you wish to speak to us is entirely up to you, of course. But bear in mind that you've just been picked up for attempted murder of a witness against the Penguin, your boss. So anything you say can be of a big help to you."

"I was at the scene because I was tied to a pole by the Batman," Lazlo said. "Nobody caught me with a gun in my hands."

'That's because the Batman had just taken it off of you, you damned jerk,' Alex thought, annoyed. Then she decided to play a bluff. "No, but the other two gentleman whom you were with are telling us that you _were_ armed, Mr. Lazlo. In fact, they're also telling us that you were in charge of the hit on the witness."

Lazlo squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. "I'd like a lawyer."

Alex smiled slightly at him as she realized how she could turn up the heat. "Sure, you can have one, Mr. Lazlo. With any luck, you'll probably be out on the streets by morning. But I wouldn't want to be you once night falls again…."

"Why not?" Lazlo asked her with a frown.

Alex slowly rose from the table, as if she were about to leave the room. "Because, once night falls, the Batman will be hunting you down once more. And nothing incurs the Dark Knight's wrath more than a snitch who goes back on his word."

Alex knew she had Lazlo once his eyes grew wide with terror. "Wait, uh, wait a second," he said anxiously. "If I talk…um, I'll need protection, and I want amnesty from all of my crimes."

"That depends on if I like what you have to tell me," Alex told him.

"Oh, you'll like it," he said. "I was the Penguin's right hand man. I carried out his orders, and I saw stuff that nobody else saw. I can give you him on a silver platter."

Although she maintained an air of being noncommittal, Alex inwardly shouted for joy as she placed an audio recorder on the table and switch it on. "Keep talking, Mr. Lazlo. Give me the details."

**B&B**

"It's shaping up to be a very good night, so far," Renee said as she and Harvey walked down the hallway of the SVU. "Batman was able to save the witness. And there's even talk that one of the Penguin's men might flip."

"As if one witness ain't enough, now the Penguin has to deal with a rat from his own crew," Harvey said with a smile. He gestured at a door to their right. "Here we are, now. This should be fun to watch."

But as they entered the observation room, they saw that they were not alone. Another police officer stood by the two way mirror, intently watching Alex Cabot interrogate Brendan Lazlo on the other side of the glass, while he spoke into a cell phone. Normally, having a cop unassociated with the case watching an interrogation wasn't a problem.

But this cop turned out to be Jonathan Pressman.

"I'll call you back, honey," he said, as he nervously switched off his phone. Then he shrugged at Renee and Harvey as he quickly ran out of the room. "Excuse me, guys, just calling my wife…."

Renee stared after him with suspicion, then she stared at the interrogation that went on in the room next to them. Lazlo was presently spilling his guts about working for the Penguin to Cabot, who recorded his every word.

"It can't be a coincidence that Pressman just happened to be calling his wife in the observation next to where one of the Penguin's boys is confessing all, huh?" Harvey asked.

"The hell it is," Renee said angrily. "Did you read the part in Pressman's file about his marital status? He's single!"

"That son of a bitch," Harvey swore. "Looks like the Commish's instincts were right: just like they usually are. C'mon, Montoya; let's go tail Mr. Pressman, shall we?"

"My pleasure," Renee said, as they walked back out into the hallway.

**B&B**

"Arrrgh!" the Penguin muttered in irritation, as he closed his cell phone. Things were just going from bad to worse. Not only had Mr. Freeze been stopped in his attempt to kill Tommy Cho, but now Lazlo and the others had also been foiled in their attempt to kill Marlene Lewis--and in both circumstances, they were stopped by the Batman. The damned Batman….

And to top it all off, the Penguin had just been informed that Lazlo had turned rat against him. Instead of one witness, the Penguin now had two who would be singing against him. And to add insult to injury, that dolt Pressman even had the gall to ask if the Penguin would still be needing his services!

"The day I no longer need your services, Pressman," the Penguin had told him, "is the day they'll find you floating face down in the Gotham river. Understand?"

Pressman had meekly mumbled an answer, just before the Penguin had abruptly ended the call.

His police informant would still be of use in the future, but for now, the Penguin had other issues to attend to--namely, the fact that the Gotham City Police force would now be after him. He had to go underground, and the sooner he did this, the better.

He waddled out to the balcony in front of his office and gazed down on the remainder of his men. Most of them had crawled back here tonight with their tails between their legs, after having ran like frightened rabbits at the mere sight of the Batman. If the Penguin didn't need them so badly, he would have mowed the entire lot of them down with his umbrella gun.

"Scanlon!" he called to their leader. "With Lazlo having turned rat against me, that makes you my new aide de camp. Congrats! Now get everybody moving. We need to clear this place completely clean and move everything and everybody over to the hideout."

"Will do, boss," Scanlon said with confidence. "Oh, and I guess we can leave the special equipment behind, huh?"

"Arrrgh!" the Penguin growled, as he fought the urge to put a bullet right between Scanlon's eyes. "Why does everybody presume to know what I want, tonight?! No, Scanlon; the special equipment comes with us, because Mr. Freeze may well come after us, too!"

Scanlon nodded slightly. "Oh, yeah…good thinking, boss."

"So glad you approve," the Penguin said sarcastically. "Now GET MOVING!"

After Scanlon and the other boys ran off to do his bidding, the Penguin went back into his office once more. He ordered his computer to wipe the hard drive while he shredded any incriminating documents. When he was done, the Penguin left his office, possibly for the last time, and waddled back outside to the main floor of his nightclub.

'Perhaps it was better this way,' the Penguin thought, as he watched his men quickly load various boxes onto trucks that were parked out back. 'Perhaps operating underground will be better for me overall. No more playing at being an honest businessman; no more false pretenses. If the cops want to chase me, let them--it was high time for me to spread my wings as the new boss of the Gotham City underworld.'

Scanlon walked over to him. "We're all set, boss. You ready?"

"That I am--oh, wait, I forgot one little thing," the Penguin said. He pulled out his cell phone and made a call to Emil Rondos. When he answered, the Penguin simply said, "Nora Fries, kill her right now."

**B&B**

"You got it," Rondos said. Then he put the cell phone away.

Lansky glanced over from where he sat next to Nora Fries' bed. He had just finished setting up a new I.V. for her. "Who got what?"

"Us," Rondos replied, as he placed a silencer on his gun. "We finally got our freedom. No more babysitting the vegetable. Say goodnight, Nora."

Lansky grew alarmed when he saw Rondos had come over with the intent of killing Nora Fries. He glanced down at the slumbering woman, who looked like a sleeping angel, blissfully unaware of the danger she was now in.

"Wait a minute," Lansky said, as he stood up and blocked Rondos view. "What the hell you think you're doing?"

"Putting her out of her misery," Rondos replied, with a chuckle. "Don't tell me you've gotten sweet on little Nora, Lansky. I can't see how you could. I mean, God knows she ain't much of a conversationalist."

"It's just that there's no need to kill her," Lansky said pleadingly. "It's not like she can testify against us, or anything like that. C'mon Rondos, put the gun away…."

"The Penguin ordered for her to be killed, and that's what I gotta do," Rondos told him. "And, unless _you_ want to get shot, as well, I'd suggest you get the hell out of my way."

"Rondos, listen to me…."

Rondos aimed his gun at Nora Fries. "This conversation is over."

Lansky grabbed the gun and tried to yank it out of his hand, but Rondos slugged him in the face. Yet Lansky would not release his grip on Rondos' gun. Both men wound up fighting for possession of the weapon--which, during their frantic struggle, was aimed directly at the sleeping Nora Fries the entire time.

**B&B**

'This is the place,' Batman thought, as he and Robin silently came down the alleyway next to the house. The home itself was darkened, and had the look of not having been lived in for quite a long--

Batman ceased his tactical musings when Robin gently tapped him on the shoulder, then pointed at something.

When Batman saw the cellar windows were brightly lit, he gave Robin a nod, as well as a thumbs up sign. Batman crouched down and looked through the narrow slit that was the cellar window.

And what he saw made his eyes grow wide with horror.

Two men were in the midst of a life and death struggle as they each fought for possession of a gun. Nora Fries lay helplessly on a bed, with the shaking gun pointed right at her.

"Robin, come on!" Batman said urgently.

**B&B**

Rondos savagely kicked Lansky in the stomach, and when he doubled over in pain, Rondos shot him point-blank in the back.

Lansky made a croaking sound as he slumped to the floor.

"Idiot," Rondos told him. "But don't worry; your share of the money won't go to waste. I'll spend it for you."

Then he walked over to Nora Fries--but just before he could aim the gun at her, something strange happened.

The cellar door abruptly exploded.

"What the--?" Rondos cried, as he whirled around and aimed the gun at the gaping hole where the storm door used to be.

Then he dropped the gun and let out a wail of pain as something very sharp had embedded itself in his hand. When he turned the back of his hand over for a better look at what it was, Rondos saw a metallic dart in the shape of a bat sticking out of his skin.

'A bat?' Rondos thought, as he stared at the dart in terror. 'But doesn't that usually mean--?'

Rondos never had a chance to even finish that thought, because the Batman appeared right in front of him and slugged him into unconsciousness.

**B&B**

Robin quickly checked over the slumbering Nora Fries, and was relieved to see that she had not been shot, nor was she harmed in any way. "She's fine, Batman. She's ok."

"Unfortunately," the Dark Knight grimly said, "I can't say the same for this guy."

Robin became saddened when he saw the man whom the Batman stood over. The man, who had been shot in the back, lay face down. He suddenly moved slightly and asked, "N-Nora, is she--?"

"She's all right," Batman said in a gentle tone of voice. "Thanks to you."

"I-I never signed on…to kill…" the man managed to say. Then he let out a sharp gasp, and his eyes grew unfocused and lifeless.

Robin had been busy switching the frequency on his comm unit so he could call an ambulance--but now he stopped. There was no longer any need. He than glanced back at Nora, and realized that he could still call an ambulance for her.

When Batman saw him tap the comm unit in his ear, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Calling for an ambulance, for Nora Fries," he replied.

"Don't bother," the Dark Knight replied. "We're taking her to the hospital ourselves." He then gestured at the gunman whom he had just punched out. "Right after I tie up this piece of garbage."

**B&B**

"Jim, we got him," Rachel said, as she and Olivia strolled into Gordon's office. "We got the Penguin."

Gordon, who had just put on his jacket, looked like he was just about to leave for the night. Yet once they had entered, he quickly removed his jacket. "Tell me."

"Batman and Robin found Marlene Lewis, and we just took her testimony," Rachel said. "She puts the Penguin meeting Mr. Freeze right over the body of Joey Duggan."

"Dear God," Gordon said, as his eyes grew wide behind his glasses. "You're right; we got him now…."

"But that's not all," Olivia told him. "There's now another witness against the Penguin. Brendan Lazlo, the Penguin's former right hand man, now wants to testify against him. Alex just got the goods from Lazlo now."

"I take it Lazlo isn't doing this out of the kindness of his heart?" Gordon asked skeptically.

"He wants full immunity, and I'm inclined to give it to him," Rachel said. "When you consider what he's offering--"

"--it's a price well worth paying," Gordon said with a nod. "Now if only we can find a judge who's still up this late who'll sign us some warrants."

He was stunned when a smiling Rachel held up a hand filled with signed warrants. "Judge Emily Rosen is an old friend of Bruce's," she said with a smile. "And she's also a night owl. She was only too happy to sign these for me."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gordon said, as he put his coat back on. "Let's go get that little slug."

**B&B**

Officer Barney Manse checked his watch as he stood in the hospital lobby. It had been several minutes since he and his partner, Zach, brought in the perp for treatment. Tonight's patrol had been hairy; a guy they picked up for disturbing the peace turned out to be hopped up on meth, or whatever crazy drugs these kids today were taking. The crazy bastard started acting like he was having a heart attack in the rear seat of their patrol car--which made a trip to the hospital necessary.

Barney glanced at Zach, who was a rookie just barely out of the academy. The kid did good tonight; he kept his cool in a pretty wild and tense situation. But Zach still looked edgy.

Barney slapped his hand on Zach's shoulder. "Calm down. It's over. You've got to learn to pace yourself, kid, or you'll never survive this job."

"Yeah, sorry," Zach said.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Barney told him. "This is the stuff they don't teach you at the academy. The stuff you learn just by being on the streets."

"Guess it's just as well we weren't involved in the Batman chase," Zach jokingly said, "or else I'd really be--"

Zach abruptly stopped speaking as he stared over in astounishment at something. When Barney glanced over to see what it was, his eyes grew wide in shock at what he saw.

The Batman entered the hospital lobby with a woman in his arms. Robin came in right behind him. The woman--who was wrapped up in a blanket-- appeared to be unconscious.

The Batman strode with her over to the main desk, where he said, "This woman is Nora Fries! She needs your help immediately!"

Charlotte, who was the nurse on duty, looked startled for a moment. Then she quickly regained her professionalism as she called for orderlies, who brought a stretcher. A couple of the ER doctors, who were hanging around, taking a break, came running over.

Once Batman placed Nora Fries on the stretcher, he and Robin both turned to leave.

Zach went to pull his gun out of its holster--until Barney stopped him. "Let them go, kid."

The younger man looked stunned. "B-But there's a warrant out for Batman's arrest…."

"Batman?" Barney said, smiling. He turned to Charlotte, who sat back down at her desk, and asked, "Hey, Charlotte, did you see the Batman here?"

"Nope," she replied, "never saw him! As far as I'm concerned, somebody left that poor woman on the street outside."

"You see, kid?" Barney told Zach. "Batman was never here."

Zach nodded as he put his gun away. "So we just ignore a warrant that's been issued?"

"No, of course not," Barney said with a sigh. "But there are times, kid, when you've gotta pick and choose your fights. And this was one of them."

**B&B**

"Diana," Kal-el said coldly. "You wished to see me."

Wonder Woman nodded as she strode up to him in the grassy field just outside Smallville. It was the place where they'd both agreed to meet. "I'd like to make this brief, so I'll get straight to the point."

"As always," Kal-el replied tersely.

"Superman, I hereby formally resign from the Justice League," she told him. "I can no longer be a part of an organization that refuses to take the fight directly to the enemy."

Kal-el shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't accept your resignation."

"I knew you were going to say that, Kal."

"But you don't know why, Diana. I can't accept your resignation because there is no longer a Justice League for you to resign from. I've just been speaking with the President. And I've had no choice but to allow the Justice League to be disbanded."

As Wonder Woman stared at him in amazement, Kal-el chuckled humorlessly. "Don't look so shocked, Diana. After all, it was your shenanigans that helped seal the fate of the League. So I guess I actually have you to thank for this."

Kal-el strode away from her--then he stopped short and spun around. "And just so we understand each other," he told her. "If you ever do what you did in Gotham City again, I will find you and make you sorry you ever left Paradise island."

He then flew off, leaving Wonder Woman alone in the field, her mouth still hanging open in shock.

**B&B**

Gathering the troops was surprisingly easy. There was a tactical squad on alert at all times, which Gordon now used as the tip of the spear--so to speak--for the assault on the Penguin's nightclub. But there were plenty more cops who answered the call for the raid on the Penguin, and Olivia was pleased to see them. The Penguin could be very unpredictable--dangerously so--and it was always good having extra back up whenever they dealt with him.

As she strode through the crowd of police who were gearing up in the street around the corner from the nightclub, Olivia passed a pair of uniformed cops--a man and a woman--who sounded like they were having an argument.

"You should be happy, Katie," the male cop said. "At least we're no longer hunting your boyfriend, the Batman…."

His partner just gave him a disgusted look.

Olivia couldn't help but smile at this scene. It was nice to see that she wasn't the only member of the Gotham City Police force who thought the Batman was a good guy. Yet as she got suited up in her flak jacket, Olivia frowned at the sight of Alex and Rachel, who stood by her car, trying to figure out how to properly put on their own flak jackets.

"What are you two doing?" Olivia asked, as she walked over to them.

"Joining the assault," Rachel answered. She held up her flak jacket and added, "Is this thing one size fits all?"

Olivia began to shake her head, but before she could even say anything, Alex said, "You know how the Penguin has affected me, Liv. I need to see this. I just need to see them put that little bastard in handcuffs."

"I understand, sweetie," Olivia replied, as she gently caressed Alex's shoulder. "But it might be dangerous. And, besides, the Penguin may not even be here."

"I'll take that chance," Alex said. "I just need to at least see them breaking into his nightclub. Please, Liv?"

"All right," she finally relented. "But you stay here, understand? Let the Tac boys go in first and deal with the fighting--if there is any. When they bring the Penguin out in cuffs, I'll make sure you'll be able to see him."

"All right," Alex said. "But you be careful, too."

"I'll be in the back with Gordon, so don't worry about me." She glanced over when the Tac Team Commander made a hand signal indicating they were going in. "All right, we're going, now."

"Good hunting," Rachel called, as Olivia joined the main body of police who had gathered to storm the nightclub.

"Liv," Gordon said, with a nod. "Good to have you with us."

"We're finally taking down the Penguin," she said with a smile. "I wouldn't miss this for the world!"

She waited impatiently with the others while the tactical team hit the front of the building, as well as the sides and back all at once.

"Looks like it's clear, sir," the tac commander reported over Gordon's radio. "No sign of life."

"All right," Gordon called to his cadre of police, "let's go!"

Olivia went inside the empty nightclub with her gun drawn, but quickly holstered it once she saw the situation looked calm. The tac team commander shook his head. "The building's all clear, sir. Apparently, there's nobody he--"

He was cut off by a loud crash that sounded like it came from downstairs. Then Olivia's eyes grew wide when she saw a pair of tac police officers come flying--literally soaring through the air--out of a basement doorway.

Then she saw who had tossed them.

Olivia and the others took a startled step backwards as Mr. Freeze emerged onto the nightclub floor. He glared at the gathering of police as he blew out a chunk of ice from over his mouth. "THE PENGUIN!" he roared with unbridled fury. "WHERE IS HE?!"

The uniformed officer named Katie, who stood next to Olivia, wearily shook her head and muttered, "This is turning out to be a very long night."

**B&B**

"We got her, Batgirl," Batman said into the radio. "Great job on finding Nora."

"Thanks," she shyly replied. "But you guys did all the work. What's next?"

"We're headed home," Batman told her. "You should hit the sack, Batgirl."

"Batman," Robin said, as he gestured at the police radio on the dashboard.

"All units, all units," the police dispatcher urgently said. "Mr. Freeze sighted at Penguin's Retreat Nightclub. Officers in need of assistance. All available units respond, I say again: all available units please respond."

"Batgirl, forget what I just said," Batman muttered, as he spun the Tumbler into another 180 degree turn. "We're paying a visit to the Penguin's nightclub."

"Got it, Batman," she replied. "I'll stay on station in case you need me."

"Turning out to be an eventful night, huh?" Robin said, as the Tumbler roared in the direction of the nightclub.

"That's the understatment of the year," Batman murmured. "Brace yourself, Robin, because it's gonna be playtime with the snowman again."

**To Be Continued....**


	10. Chapter 10

_I'd like to thank, as always, RebelByrdie and Zarathustra1030 for their kind words of encouragement. I'd also like to thank those of you who added this story to your alerts/faves list. _

**Batman & Benson 4**

**Chapter Ten**

"What the hell are you all looking at?" the Tactical Team commander yelled at his men. "DROP HIM!"

Olivia flinched as a dozen automatic weapons opened fire on Mr. Freeze all at once. And yet the iceman merely stood there, glowering at them, while bits of ice flew off his armored skin from the bullets. Although Olivia had already seen Mr. Freeze in action before, the image of him calmly standing there while being sprayed with bullets was still a staggering sight to behold. And Olivia didn't think it was possible, but it looked as if the commotion was making Mr. Freeze even angrier.

Freeze abruptly raised his arms, and within an instant Olivia found herself standing in a snowstorm. It was stunning how quickly the air around her had chilled down to artic levels. She placed her hands up against her face in a feeble attempt to protect herself from the flying ice crystals that stung her skin while she fought to take a breath in the freezing air.

"Back off!" Gordon called, struggling to be heard over the gusts of icy winds that had kicked up out of nowhere. "Everybody get out, now!"

When she felt somebody bump into her within the white out conditions, Olivia saw that it was the female officer whom she saw earlier, the one named Katie. She was stumbling around in the blizzard with both arms held up over her head. Olivia grabbed the young woman and helped her--along with one of the tac squad guys--to the exit.

'Oh Christ,' Olivia thought with horror. She glanced around her and saw only white. 'Where's the frigging exit?'

**B&B**

When Alex anxiously watched as Olivia entered the Penguin's nightclub with the other officers, she was torn between wanting the Penguin to be there--so she could watch the little bastard get arrested for good--and _not_ wanting him to be there, just so Olivia could be spared the danger of a deadly confrontation.

'Where's Bruce?' she wondered. 'Shouldn't he really be tackling the Penguin, anyway?'

But with a glance at Rachel, who stood by her side in support, Alex felt guilty for wanting to exchange Bruce for Olivia in this dangerous situation. She may have been joking with Olivia earlier about being a superhero's girlfriend, but the fact of the matter was that both she and Rachel had lovers who pursued a treacherous path of finding justice. She was grateful that Rachel was here, to commiserate with her--as Alex was sure that Rachel had spent her fair share of panicked moments, when she worried for Bruce's well-being.

After a short period of silence, Rachel began to say: "Looks like nothing--"

And that was when they were shocked to hear the riotous gunfire from within the nightclub.

"OLIVIA!" Alex cried as she started to run towards the nightclub.

But Rachel had a firm hold on her arm. "Oh, no you don't! Stay here, Alex."

Alex tried to squirm her way out of Rachel's grasp. "But Olivia--!"

"--is a trained police officer," Rachel cut in. "And if I'd let you get hurt, she'd be very pissed at me."

Several police officers who remained outside with them began running towards the entrance of the nightclub. But they stopped when the doors were flung open and the tac team, along with the escort group of cops, all came staggering outside. Alex was relieved to see Olivia--she led a young female cop and a tac team member to safety by the ambulance.

Alex then frowned when she saw what looked like snow billowing out of the entrance from behind. Then her eyes grew wide behind her glasses once she saw the source of the snow: Mr. Freeze. The iceman smashed his way through the doors, ripping one off of its hinges and flinging it through the nightclub's glass display case. Mr. Freeze then grabbed another door and held up high over his head as he strode into the street.

"GET DOWN," Olivia shouted at her and Rachel. "The both of you, take cover, now!"

"Um, I can't argue with that logic," Alex muttered, as she and Rachel quickly ran for cover behind a police cruiser.

**B&B**

"There he is," Batman said.

Once they came around the corner, Mr. Freeze was hard to miss. He stood in the center of the street, surrounded by police and emergency vehicles. He held a large object in both hands above his head. As the Tumbler came closer, Batman saw that it was one of the massive front doors from the Penguin's nightclub.

"Hope Penguin doesn't mind that Mr. Freeze is doing a little redecorating," Robin said with a broad grin. "Looks like their little love affair is now over, huh, Batman?"

But Batman was too busy calculating to reply. The police and emergency vehicles completely surrounded Mr. Freeze, cutting them off from him. And it appeared he was about to fling that heavy door at the people and police who were gathered around the area at any second; to stop the Tumbler and attack on foot would take too much time--plus it would leave them too exposed. Their attack would have to be fast, and it would have to be done right now.

"Robin," he said, "hold on."

"What's happening?"

"Remember when you said how you've always wanted to see the Tumbler's rocket thruster in action?" Batman asked, as he flipped a switch. "Well, brace yourself…."

Once the rear rocket thruster engaged, the Tumbler was propelled forward at five times its speed--straight at the police cars in front of them. But before they hit, Batman flipped another switch--one that read FLIGHT--which commanded several armored plates on the exterior of the Tumbler to abruptly shift in position. When they did this, they redirected the air flow over the vehicle just enough so that the front wheels raised up. The wind flowing under its chassis, along with the maximum thrust of the rocket in back, was enough to make the bulky Tumbler leap into the air.

"You didn't tell me it could do _this_!" Robin said, as he stared out the windows with wide-eyed alarm. "Holy sh--"

**B&B**

Olivia smiled when she saw Alex and Rachel had managed to join her by the ambulance. But her happiness at the sight of both her lover and best friend was short lived, because just then they saw Mr. Freeze moving towards them with the massive door held up above his head. Olivia, along with Katie and the tac squad member, all pulled out their guns and began firing, but it was painfully obvious that this had no effect.

Then she heard a roar, and when Olivia glanced up, she was surprised to see a massive shadow in the air just above Mr. Freeze.

It was the Tumbler.

Olivia watched, awed, as the Tumbler landed several yards away from Mr. Freeze. The Tumbler continued it's forward motion until it slammed right into him. The force of the blow managed to knock the iceman straight into an exterior wall of the Penguin's nightclub. When the Tumbler backed up, Olivia saw Mr. Freeze had been shoved right into the wall, which buckled inwards from the impact.

'If only that was the end of it,' she thought grimly.

Sure enough, Mr. Freeze begun to move around, as if to get back up. And then Olivia was stunned to see the Tumbler spin around, as if to drive away.

"Is Batman leaving?" Katie asked her, looking shocked.

Olivia just shrugged helplessly, not knowing what to say, because even she didn't know what was going on, here.

**B&B**

"We're leaving already?!" Robin asked.

"Far from it," Batman replied, as he spun the Tumbler around so that it's rear now faced Mr. Freeze. They could see the iceman disentangling himself from the brickwork in the rear view screens. "I've just discovered a new function for the Tumbler's rocket thruster."

Batman backed the Tumbler up so that the thruster was practically right in Mr. Freeze's face--and then he turned it on, full blast, while he kept his foot on the brakes.

"Instant anti-freeze!" Robin cried triumphantly, as they watched Mr. Freeze angrily roar under the volcanic glow. Still partially trapped under the debris, he had little choice but to sit there while the majority of his icy armor melted.

Batman switched off the rocket thruster and pulled the Tumbler away when he thought Mr. Freeze had had enough. He spun the Tumbler around and swung it back so that the front of the vehicle now faced the downed iceman. Batman opened the main hatch, stood up and stared at Mr. Freeze.

Most of the ice that covered his chest and face had been blasted away by the Tumbler's rocket thruster. Yet Mr. Freeze himself appeared unharmed as he hatefully glowered at Batman.

"Victor," Batman called to him. "It's over! Nora is safe! Do you hear me? Your wife, Nora, has been rescued from her kidnappers. She's back in the hospital right now. There's no further need for you to--"

"YOU LIE!" Freeze yelled at him.

With that, he lifted a keystone from the ruined foundation of the building and raised it up in his hands--but instead of throwing it at the Tumbler, Mr. Freeze smashed the keystone into a support column that was directly behind him. The result was that the entire corner of the building collapsed right on top of him, with the weight of all the brick and stonework crashing through the ground and into the basement below, taking Freeze with it. The iceman had just effectively made his escape.

"Damn it!" Batman exploded, as he sat back down and closed the hatch.

"He couldn't have possibly survived that," Robin said. "Could he?"

"Trust me, Robin, he can."

"Is it my imagination," Robin asked, "or is this guy getting stronger each time we see him?"

"His powers _are_ getting stronger," Batman confirmed. "And he's also getting smarter. But he's still too blind with rage to see the reality of the situation. That makes him even more dangerous."

"Um, speaking of dangerous, Batman," Robin said, as he glanced around them. "We're now presently surrounded by more than half of the Gotham City Police Force."

"Yeah," Batman muttered, as he pulled the Tumbler into a tight turn, "I've noticed…."

"Where are we going?"

"Just taking a little short cut," Batman replied, as he rammed the Tumbler through the wrecked front doors of the Penguin's nightclub. The Tumbler then mowed down the tables and chairs in the main dining area as Batman drove it towards the kitchen. "I figure we can let ourselves out the back."

"First Mr. Freeze, and now the Tumbler," Robin said with a broad grin as he watched fine china and dinnerware shatter against the armored hide of their ride. "Man, the Penguin's gonna freak when he hears what happened to his club tonight!"

"I've got a feeling that this nightclub is the least of the Penguin's worries right now," Batman replied.

**B&B**

J'onn J'onzz smiled slightly as he watched the Tumbler crash through the Penguin's nightclub in an effort to avoid the police. Leave it to the Dark Knight to think fast on his feet, as always. He had been in the neighborhood, while taking a walking tour of Gotham City, when he noticed the ruckus just down the street here. J'onn had been careful to morph his appearance so that he appeared to look like a regular human male, dressed casually in jeans and a shirt. The battle was already over by the time he got here.

"Oh, thank God," an older woman said to a man in the crowd. "I thought they were gonna catch him!"

"Yeah, as if the cops could ever catch the Dark Knight," he told her with a laugh. "That'll be the day!"

"He got away," an African-American man who stood next to J'onn said into a cell phone. "Yeah, it's cool, babe. Batman got away. No, he's too much of a badass to let himself be caught by the cops."

As the crowd began to dissipate, J'onn marveled at how the people on the streets of Gotham City still cheered for the Batman, even when their leaders had turned against him. He realized that humans intrinsically knew the right path in any given situation--just as he witnessed here--and yet, despite this fact, things so often went dreadfully wrong.

Like with the Justice League.

When Superman had informed J'onn that he had been forced to dissolve the League--under threat of military action by the President--J'onn had been depressed beyond words. The League had become a second home for him--actually, it had become his _only_ home--and now it was gone. Superman had invited J'onn to come stay at the Fortress Of Solitude once more, like he did just after the Starro incident, but that wasn't really the point.

After the battle with Wonder Woman, and now the disbanding of the League, J'onn had discovered he had lost hope in his adopted home--he had lost hope in all of humanity. He had needed to walk, to try and clear his mind and set his thoughts right. He arrived at Gotham City because it was the first place that entered his mind. But even after walking the streets for most of the day, J'onn still found himself feeling very alone and lost.

Until now.

A pretty young woman smiled at him as she walked by. She gestured at the scene with her hand. "That's really amazing, isn't it?"

"Yes," J'onn said, returning her smile. "It is."

"Makes me feel safe, sleeping at night, knowing he's out there," she said, as she ran off to catch up with her friends.

J'onn knew what she meant. In that instant, he realized the reason why the ordinary people on the street still cheered for the Batman--in spite of the fact that their leaders had made him a fugitive. Not only was it because the regular man and woman understood what was right--even when their leaders didn't--it was also the lesson that J'onn himself learned just now, from watching the Batman in action.

And it was a simple one: don't ever give up.

Regardless that the entire Gotham City police force now hunted him, regardless that he had been made a fugitive in the eyes of the law, the Batman still fought valiantly and boldly for truth and justice. J'onn was both awed and moved to see him in action tonight. And J'onn also realized the reason _why_ Batman still fought so hard: because the average person on the street was well worth the struggle.

And that was the main thing that he had forgotten. The Justice League may well be history; most of the superheroes he'd come to know as friends may become hunted by very the very same law enforcement they'd worked side by side with, as the governments of the world turned their backs on them. But the battle for justice continued.

'And if the Batman could continue to fight the good fight,' J'onn thought, with renewed confidence, 'then so can the Martian Manhunter.'

**B&B**

"Superb work, gentlemen," Alfred said with a smile, as Batman and Robin emerged from the main hatch of the Tumbler in the Batcave.

"Not good enough," Batman grumbled. "Mr. Freeze kept getting away."

"True, sir," Alfred admitted. "However, you still stopped him from causing any further harm. Not to mention the fact that you've rescued Nora Fries and also helped to build solid evidence against the Penguin."

"There's that at least," Robin replied. He glanced over at the empty chair by the Batcomputer. "Where's Barbra?"

"In bed," Alfred told him. "Once you radioed that you were on your way home for good tonight, I took the liberty of relieving Ms. Barbra of her duties."

"Good move, Alfred," Bruce said, as he wearily pulled off the cowl. "It's been a long night for all of us--but for her, as well. And Babs did a great job of backing us up, tonight."

"You might want to tell her that yourself later, Master Bruce," Alfred said, as he took his cape and cowl. "She would greatly appreciate hearing it from you."

Bruce nodded as he sat down on a bench. "I fully intend to, Alfred."

"Did we make the news, Alfred?" Dick asked, after he stripped off his Robin mask.

Alfred paused for a moment with an uneasy look, then he nodded. "Yes, your battles with Mr. Freeze were mentioned, tonight. But there was other news, I'm afraid. Bad news. The Justice League has been disbanded."

"What?!" Bruce asked in disbelief.

"It was all over the news," Alfred told him. "Superman just made the official announcement from Metropolis."

Bruce got up and went over to the Batcomputer. He switched it on and quickly found a newscast. "Continuing our coverage of the disbanding of the Justice League right now," the female anchorwoman said. "Superman announced earlier today that the largest group of superheroes the world had ever seen would now be disbanded--thanks to growing tensions between them and the United States government. This was due in large part to reports of an imminent invasion of Gotham City by the Justice League."

"Tensions were only made worse between the two sides when Wonder Woman attacked the offices of the Special Victims Unit at Gotham City police headquarters," the anchorwoman continued. "Although Superman, and several other League spokespersons, have steadfastly insisted that Wonder Woman acted alone--the incident caused the White House to demand no less than the complete disbanding of the League before the U.S. military would be ordered to stand down from its full combat alert status. Here's what Superman had to say about the disbanding in Metropolis."

The scene switched to a disheartened Man Of Steel, who stood before the main steps of the Daily Planet. "It's with great regret that I announce the termination of the Justice League, today," he said. "People should know that we tried to be a force for good; we tried to be of help to humanity in any way that we could. And we still do this even at the end--because, by disbanding the group, we now allow this simmering crisis to die down for the good of all. Thank you."

"Whoa!" Dick said, as he slowly shook his head. "What the hell happened?"

"It's simple," Bruce summed up. "The Justice League went eye to eye with the U.S. government, and the League blinked."

"Yeah, that's obvious," Dick said. "But, I mean, couldn't they have worked out a compromise or something? Why'd it have to come to this? What was Superman thinking?"

"My feeling is that Superman didn't have much choice in the matter," Bruce replied. "He was between a rock and a hard place, and being the decent man that he is, he chose the only safe option available to him--which was to disband the League. It must have been a terrible decision for him to make."

There was a moment of stunned silence as Dick shook his head in bewilderment once more. "I guess at this point, Bruce, we can only hope that, with the League's disbanding, this rampant paranoia will finally be over."

"In related news," the female anchor added, "law enforcement officials in Upstate New York have launched a pre-dawn raid on the Xavier's School For Gifted Children. Professor Charles Xavier, who ran the school for special children whom he referred to as Meta-Humans, has been formally charged by federal prosecutors for running what they call a terrorist training camp. While most of the occupants of the school have been rounded up, several have managed to escape the dragnet, and are still on the loose. FBI officials have expressed confidence that they will be captured shortly."

After viewing that ominous piece of news, Bruce solemnly shook his head and said, "On the contrary, Dick, the overall mood of paranoia is still in full swing. And it now looks like things are going to get much, much worse."

**B&B**

Olivia wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for a week--preferably with Alex cuddled next to her. She had been awake all night, thanks to the big break in the Penguin case. Along with Marlene Lewis, and Brendan Lazlo, the Penguin now had a third witness who was willing to testify against him. Emil Rondos, one of the men whom the Penguin had hired to abduct Nora Fries, wanted to squeal against his former boss--in exchange for leniency for killing his partner in crime, Bruno Lansky. The Batman had left Rondos gift-wrapped for the police, along with all of the evidence that he'd killed Lansky.

'Bruce had a great night last night,' Olivia thought, as she checked herself in the mirror in her office. 'But, knowing him, he's probably steamed that he didn't nail Mr. Freeze, as well. He's always been too hard on himself.'

Although they didn't really need Rondos' testimony, Rachel was determined to pile as much solid evidence as she could get against the Penguin. "When I put him away this time," she had told Olivia and Alex earlier, "I want to make sure he _stays_ put away."

The mayor was so elated by these turn of events that he called for an early morning news conference--one which he wanted Olivia and Alex to attend, as well. The mayor saw this as being a big win for Olivia, who had tried relentlessly over the past few months to nab the Penguin, and he felt that she deserved her turn in the spotlight. For her part, Olivia had wanted to hold off on the celebrating and back slapping until they actually _caught_ the Penguin. But then, who was she to say no to the mayor?

Alex appeared in the doorway of her office. "Ready?"

Olivia nodded. She had splashed cold water over her face before, and that helped to stave off the tiredness for about five minutes. "Now I'm sorry I gave up drinking coffee…."

"We can go home afterwards," Alex said, giving her shoulder a little affectionate rub as they left Olivia's office. "We'll head back to the Manor and sleep till noon."

"I'm gonna need to stop off at the house and get some more clothes, first," Olivia told her. She smiled when she saw Linda had entered the SVU bullpen. "Hey, Linda!"

"Morning, boss," the younger woman said with a smile. "You're here bright and early."

"Oh, I know," Olivia said with a groan. "We've been here all night. Thanks for the reminder!"

"You hear about the new charges against the penguin?" Alex asked Linda.

She smiled broadly. "Yeah, heard it on the radio on my way in. Great news! Good job, guys."

"Most of the credit belongs to Batman and Robin," Olivia said with a grin. "They really kicked ass last night."

Olivia frowned when Linda suddenly made a shushing gesture by placing her finger over her own mouth. "Be careful about how you talk about the Batman these days, boss," she said. "Especially within police headquarters."

Olivia glanced around the empty SVU bullpen--it was still too early for the rest of the regular day shift to come in. "Linda, we're the only ones here!"

"Sorry, boss," Linda said sheepishly. "Chalk it up to paranoia on my part. But you can't be too careful these days."

"Did something new happen, Linda?" Alex asked.

"Well, it's more like what's _about_ to happen," she replied. "There's talk of a special unit being formed within the GCPD that will be led by somebody from the IAD. The sole purpose of this unit will be to hunt down and capture the Batman."

Olivia's eyes grew wide with shock at the thought of an Internal Affairs Division investigator in charge of a special anti-Batman squad. What was even further shocking to her was the fact that Jim Gordon would allow that sort of thing to occur within his department. "That doesn't sound right."

"A lot of things don't sound right today," Linda said. "Did you hear about the Justice League? They've been disbanded."

"Oh my God," Olivia said softly, as she exchanged a somber look with Alex. "What the hell is going on, lately? Has everybody gone crazy?"

"I don't know," Alex said with a glance at her watch. "But we're expected at the press conference, Liv."

"Uh, yeah," Olivia said with annoyance. "Talk to you later, Linda. Hold the fort while I'm away."

"Will do, boss."

Olivia was still fuming as she rode in the elevator with Alex. "I just can't believe Jim Gordon would do this," she told Alex. "He's probably an even bigger ally of the Batman than I am!"

"You sure this isn't just another baseless rumor created by interoffice gossip?" Alex asked.

"No, Linda's my eyes and ears for that sort of thing," Olivia replied. "She wouldn't have even brought this up if she didn't think there was some truth behind it."

"Well, we're going to be seeing Commissioner Gordon at the press conference," Alex said. "No better time or place to bring it up with him."

"Oh, you bet I will, Alex! I've got some hard questions to ask him!"

"Um, just keep in mind that he _is_ your boss," Alex gently reminded her.

"I promise I won't bite him," Olivia muttered.

When they arrived at the press conference, Olivia saw that while most of the media had arrived, they were still busy getting set up. She saw Gordon speaking with the mayor off to the side of the stage, and went over to them. Alex went over to Rachel and started chatting.

"Excuse me, sir," Olivia said politely to Gordon. "May I speak with you for a moment, please?"

"Yes, of course," Gordon replied. He appeared worn-out and haggard; as if he was fighting some personal problems of his own. After he excused himself with the mayor, he took Olivia into a side alcove, where they could speak privately. "I take it that this is about the new anti-Batman task force?"

Olivia just stared at him in shock. "Pardon me for saying this, sir, but how could you let this happen?!"

Gordon gave her a weary shrug. "Because the mayor wanted it to happen, Olivia. I was ordered to form the task force--completely against my will. I had the choice of either going along with it, or be pushed aside. Either way, this task force was going to happen."

Olivia nodded in understanding. She glanced angrily at the mayor, who was busy glad-handing someone off to the side. "Does _he_ have any idea that the gains that we've achieved against the Penguin were all a result of the Batman?"

"He does indeed, Olivia," Gordon said with a sigh. "But the mayor is also uunder pressure from the feds. He has been told very recently that either the Gotham City police force steps up its pursuit of the Batman, or else the FBI will be brought in to lead the hunt for the Dark Knight."

"What the hell is going on, here?" Olivia asked, being careful to keep her voice down. "I mean, respectfully, sir, I had assumed the warrants against the Batman would just go away once we announced that we were going after the Penguin."

"So did we," Gordon said. "But apparently, breaking up the Justice League isn't enough for the feds in Washington. They're intent on keeping up the pressure on all of the superheroes. They've just raided Professor Charles Xaiver's school earlier this morning." He shook his head in disgust. "Little children were being led away in shackles like they were a bunch of damn animals…it's a disgrace!"

"What are we going to do?"

"Whatever we can, Olivia." Gordon glanced over when he saw the conference was about to begin. "But, for right now, I need you to look pleasant and smile as if there's nothing wrong. I know it'll be hard, but--"

"No, I understand, sir," Olivia replied, as she forced herself to smile. "Now's probably not the best time to discuss tactics, anyway."

"At least this way is better for us," Gordon whispered in her ear, as they strode over to join the others at the podium. "As long as the task force is under my control, Batman should be safe."

'But how long will that last?' Olivia anxiously wondered. 'And what will happen to the Batman when and if the Feds ever do start hunting him?'

But these chilling questions had to wait for now, as Olivia forced herself to patiently endure the tedious torture of smiling for the cameras as the press conference had finally begun earnest.

**B&B**

"Arrgh," the Penguin muttered, as he watched the press conference with extreme annoyance. It was bad enough that the mayor was standing up there, proudly bleating about the new charges that had been filed against him. But to make it worse, the Penguin also saw Olivia Benson and Alex Cabot standing by the podium with DA Dawes and Gordon.

The Penguin was still sore at the fact that Benson and Cabot had personally captured him the last time. And now these two damn dykes were parading themselves on TV, as if celebrating his misfortune, while the official announcement was made that the law was after him again.

When a reporter asked Benson what was her reaction to the Penguin becoming a fuigitve once more, the Police Inspector flashed a brilliant smile. "The Penguin is scum," she firmly said, "and since he's scum, it was just a matter of time before his true, odious nature revealed itself once more."

"ARRRGH!" the Penguin roared in a murderous rage, as he shot the TV set right off of his desk with his umbrella gun. "Scum, am I?! Well, let me show you what this 'scum' is capable of, my _dear_ Inspector Benson!"

The Penguin picked up his cell and sped-dialed a familiar number, just as Scanlon and several other of his men burst into the office with their guns drawn. When they saw nothing was amiss, they lowered their weapons.

"Penguin, what happened?" Scalon asked.

"I shot the TV," the Penguin said casually.

"Uh, why?" Scanlon asked with a puzzled look.

"Why not?" the Penguin said, as he waited for his call to be answered. "Have you seen what's on, lately? Absolute garbage!"

"Um, yeah, ok," Scanlon said with a slight nod--although he still looked a little confused. "You mind if I ask what you're doing, now, Boss?"

"Formulating my revenge, Scalon m'boy, formulating my revenge," the Penguin said. His cigarette holder shot up as he smiled broadly. "And once I get Benson and Cabot firmly strapped down right where I want them, they're gonna be in for a rollercoaster right straight to hell! Waugh! Waugh! WAUGH!"

**B&B**

Harvey Bullock smiled as he glanced down at his side. Renee Montoya was sound asleep on his shoulder. They sat in the front seat of their unmarked police sedan, which was parked down the street from Jonathan Pressman's apartment building. When they tailed him from police headquarters, this was where Pressman had led them: right to his home.

After they waited in the car for a half an hour, Renee had wanted to call off the stakeout, saying that Pressman was home to stay. But Harvey had wanted to stick it out a little longer, just in case. And despite her constant assurances that she would stick it out along with him, Montoya had drifted off to sleep.

Not that Bullock blamed her. He and Renee had been going full-speed ahead for pretty much the entire night, and now the sun was just coming up. The way he saw it, let her sleep--she earned it.

Bullock was startled to see Jonathan Pressman, clad in regular street clothes, leave his apartment building through the main entrance. A glance at his watch told him that Pressman had been home for barely an hour and a half--and yet here he was, abruptly leaving once more. "Now where the hell are _you_ going, Jonny?"

He glanced down at the sleeping Renee and gently murmured her name several times--but the result was that she merely snuggled up even closer against his shoulder, like he was a big teddy bear, or something.

"Oh, for pete's sake," Bullock grumbled. Then he leaned over and said, "YO! MONTOYA!"

"Wha-? Whazzat?!" Montoya cried, as she awoke with a start. She nearly reached for her gun in a panic, until she realized that she was still safely in the car with Bullock. "Harvey, what the hell--?"

"Pretty boy Pressman is on the move," Bullock informed her, as he started up the car.

"He is? Already?" she said, stunned. "He just got home from the night shift!"

"And now he's back out, after being inside for barely two hours," Bullock said. "And Pressman sure looks like he's in a rush, huh?"

"You got that right," Montoya said with suspicion. "He's in a big hurry. Wonder where he's going?"

Bullock quickly pulled their sedan out into traffic and began to follow Pressman's car. "Let's find out, shall we?"

To his surprise, Bullock soon discovered that Pressman had headed right back to police headquarters. As they watched while Pressman parked his car in the garage, Montoya asked, "Did he forget something?"

"Dunno," Bullock replied. "Look, you tail him on foot while I park the car. Call me on your cell and let me know where he winds up, huh?"

"Got it," Montoya said, as she got out of the car and casually strode a few yards behind Pressman.

"Something ain't right," Bullock muttered to himself as he sought a parking space. Pressman moved not like a person who merely forgot something at work, but like a man who was on an urgent mission. And call it what you wanted--a hunch; a woman's intuition from his feminine side, whatever--but Bullock got a nasty feeling that something really bad was going down right now.

Once he finally found a parking spot, Bullock hurried into the building. He arrived at the elevators just when Montoya called him on his cell. "Yeah, Renee," he said, answering the call. "What's up?"

"He's in the department of records," Montoya told him. Her voice was low, as if she didn't want to be heard. "He just flashed his badge at the clerk who runs the counter, and she got something for him."

"I'll be right up," he told her. Bullock shook his head as he shoved his way into an elevator. He really didn't like the way this was going. What was Pressman up to?

When the elevator arrived at the proper floor, Bullock practically ran over to the department of records, where he found Montoya standing by the doorway.

"Took you long enough," Montoya loudly said, annoyed. "Did you get the basketball tickets?"

Bullock was about to ask what she meant when he suddenly saw Pressman walking straight towards them, on his way out of the department of records. He was within earshot, and Montoya was just making light conversation, just in case Pressman overheard them.

"Yeah, I got them," he replied, trying to sound angry. "But it wasn't easy!"

"With you, nothing is," Montoya shot back. She then nodded and made the all clear sign once Pressman had walked past them. "He's gone."

"You keep tailing him," Bullock told her, sotto voce. "I'm gonna go see what he was after, here."

"God damn it! That's the last time I ask you to get basketball tickets, Harvey!" Montoya shouted at him as she stormed off in a pretend huff.

'Girl oughta get an Oscar,' Bullock thought with a smile, as he walked up to the counter. He flashed his badge at the clerk. "The guy who you were talking to just now--what did you get for him?"

"The IAD detective?" she asked. "He wanted an address from me."

Bullock's eyes grew wide. "He ain't no IAD detective, darling. In fact, he ain't a detective at all! He's just a regular uniformed cop who's presently under investigation himself."

"Oh, my," the clerk said, looking confused. "But his IAD badge looked so real…."

Bullock pounded his fist on the counter. "Whose address was he asking for?! Tell me!"

"Inspector Olivia Benson," she replied, frightened.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," Bullock muttered, as he pulled out his cell and called Montoya. "Renee, you still with Pressman?"

"Yeah, we're at the elevator," she replied. "But he hasn't gotten on, yet. He's been busy speaking on the phone."

"STOP HIM, RENEE!" Bullock yelled into the phone, as he ran as fast as he could out of the department of records. "Arrest him right now!"

Bullock shot down the hallway in a panic, shoving people out of his way as he did. When he arrived at the bank of elevators, he found Pressman with his hands up against the wall. Montoya stood with her gun aimed at him.

"I don't know what the problem is, detective," Pressman innocently said.

"SHUT UP!" Montoya roared at him.

"He was in the department of records, getting the home address of Inspector Benson," Bullock told Montoya.

Montoya cursed in Spanish. "Yeah, well, it looks like he passed that information on to whoever he was speaking with on the phone just now."

"I really have no idea what you guys are going on about," Pressman nervously said. "Honest! I never--"

He was cut off when Bullock grabbed Pressman from the wall and hauled him up by the collar until they were face to face. "What did you do, Pressman? Huh?" Bullock said, enraged. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?!"

**B&B**

'He said I did a great job!' Barbra Gordon thought giddily, as she paused to stare at herself in the mirror inside her room. She was back home, after Alfred had driven her there, to pick up some more clothes and further items for an extended stay at Wayne Manor.

But before they left Wayne Manor, Bruce had made it a point to seek her out and tell her that he thought she did a great job last night backing them up. Barbara had been so exhilarated that Bruce--basically the Batman himself--had commended her on a job well done, that she'd barely heard Alfred when he'd announced that they'd arrived at her home.

She had collected some more clothes and stuffed them into a suitcase--but when she saw a particular outfit tucked away in her closet, Barbra hesitated. She slowly took out the new Batgirl outfit and held it up in front of her while she stood by the mirror. She had worn it before, and it fit even better than her old Batgirl suit. Oddly, the sight of the Batgirl outfit had now made her sad, although she knew why.

'I'm finally accepted as part of the team--but only as support,' Barbra realized. 'I wonder if Bruce and Dick will ever really accept me to the point where they'll let me truly help them. Will Batgirl ever go out on patrol with Batman and Robin? I'm ready for it at last…I know I am.'

She was startled out of her reverie when Alfred called her name from on the other side of the closed door. Having already dressed in fresh clothes, Barbra opened the door to see Alfred speaking into his cell phone. "Sorry to disturb you, Miss Barbara," he said. "But I just called Olivia and Alex, who are also picking up some things at their place. Would you mind very much if we picked them up on the way back to the Manor?"

"No! Of course--" Barbra was interrupted when Alfred's expression abruptly changed to that of horror. "What is it, Alfred? What's wrong?"

"Alex?! Alex!" Alfred said frantically into the phone. He pulled the phone away from his ear, and Barbara gasped when she could hear the screaming even from where she stood.

"THEY SHOT LIV!" Alex cried in horror. Then she let out a piercing scream, just before the line went dead.

"Oh, gawd," Barbra said, as she gaped at Alfred with her eyes wide in terror.

"W-We have to contact Master Bruce," Alfred anxiously said, as he frantically began to redial the phone. "He'll know what to do."

But Bruce wasn't just a few blocks away from Olivia and Alex's home, as she and Alfred presently were. Barbara glanced back into her bedroom, at the Batgirl outfit that she had placed on the bed. "Alfred, wait! I've got a better idea…."

**B&B**

"From this point on," Gordon said into the phone, "I want the department of records to be run like goddamned Fort Knox! You understand? Nobody just comes in and gets whatever personal info they want just by flashing a badge! Oh…really?! Well, if you have trouble understanding that concept, then fine! No problem! Consider yourself fired! Put your assistant on, and let's see if he's more amenable to my way of doing things!"

Bullock and Montoya rode in the back of the armored Tactical Squad van with the Tac boys, as well as with their frustrated commissioner. As soon as it became clear what Pressman did, Bullock and Montoya had desperately raised the alarm all over police headquarters. Gordon immediately ordered a tactical squad to accompany them over to Olivia and Alex's home.

Montoya had tried calling Inspector Benson, but the line was continually busy. She dropped her cell in her lap and stared at Bullock with despair. "Oh, God…Harvey," she said with a sob. "We may already be too--"

"Don't say that!" he told her firmly. "We'll get to them in time, Renee!"

"Not at the rate we're going," Gordon muttered, as he closed his cell phone. He turned towards the driver and yelled, "Hey, how about it?!"

"Just a few more minutes, sir," the driver promised.

"I wanted to be there five minutes ago!" Gordon shouted at him. "MOVE THIS HEAP!"

**B&B**

'I must be insane,' Alfred thought, as he stopped the Bentley in an alleyway next to Olivia's home. 'I must be completely certifiable for letting her talk me into doing this!'

He turned around to try and talk Miss Barbra out of this crazy idea--only to see that she was still in the process of getting dressed. Alfred quickly spun back around and faced front. "Miss Barbra, please," he pleaded. "This is a very bad idea…."

"I know what I'm doing, Alfred," she confidently said. "I'm here, now. And I can help them."

"But who's going to help you?!" Alfred said. "Miss Barbra--"

He stopped speaking when he turned around and saw the black-clad, masked young woman who stared calmly back at him. The sight of her in that sleek outfit had literally taken Alfred's breath away.

"And the name's not Barbra, Alfred," she told him. "It's Batgirl."

And with that, she threw open the door and shot out of the car.

Alfred got out of the driver's side and stood by the car just in time to witness Batgirl rapidly climb up the fire escape with a grace and poise that was almost unnerving to watch.

"Dear Lord," he whispered in shock.

**B&B**

Olivia cried out in pain, which was muffled by her gag, when one of the men yanked out the taser darts from her bare shoulder. She shook her head in anguish as the group of goons loomed over her bound body.

It had all happened so fast, and without warning. One moment, she was speaking with Alex--who had just answered the phone--and the next, Olivia was writhing in pain on the floor. She was barely dressed, clad in just jeans and her sport bra--and Alex was wearing even less.

'Oh, Jesus, Alex!' Olivia thought with horror. 'Where is she?! What have these bastards done with her?!'

Olivia let out another muffled cry, but this time in despair, when she witnessed several of the men haul out a woman-sized canvas bag that wiggled frantically. She could hear muffled screaming from within. They were dragging Alex right out before Olivia's eyes, and she was helpless to do anything about it.

"Oh my," the Penguin said, as he leered over Olivia. "You poor, poor dear! This must have come as quite a shock to you, eh? You thought that, once you formally filed charges against me, that once you _finally_ made it official, that I would somehow be vanquished, eh?"

Olivia grunted in pain when the Penguin stuck the tip of his umbrella against her throat. "You may have wiped away my legitimate life, Benson. But I am here to stay. For I, the Penguin, am the new crime lord of Gotham City! As for my first act as crime lord, I shall torture both you and your pretty little girlfriend to death. And then I shall dump your bodies on the steps of City Hall, to send a message to those self-righteous fools who would dare to oppose me! Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

But Olivia wasn't paying attention to him--instead, she stared up in puzzlement at the Penguin's men, who all took a wary step backwards as they stared at something in amazment over by the window.

"Uh, boss," one of the men said. "Get a load of this…."

Once the Penguin glanced over at what his goon pointed at, he finally released the pressure on Olivia's neck, which enabled her to crane her head to see what had caught their attention. And what she saw made Olivia's eyes grow wide with shock.

It was Batgirl.

The young woman, clad in a black and yellow outfit, with her long, flowing red hair covering the upper part of her cape, slowly moved towards the Penguin and his men in a combat-ready stance.

Olivia frantically shook her head as she tried to scream at Barbara to run away, to flee, before it was too late. But her gag prevented her from saying anything. Olivia could only watch in terror as Barbra bravely stood her ground and faced the Penguin and his band of goons. But she was just a kid--she couldn't possibly know what she was doing! She couldn't possibly think that she could actually take on these guys!

"And who the hell are _you_?!" the Penguin asked her, sounding annoyed.

But Batgirl never answered him.

Instead, her cape billowed upwards as she abruptly flung her arms out and fearlessly lunged herself straight at the Penguin and his men.

**To Be Continued....**


	11. Chapter 11

_As always, my thanks to Zarathustra1030, RebelByrdie and BeginnerStyle for their kind words of encouragement. _

**Batman & Benson 4**

**Chapter 11**

Bruce had just begun making passionate love to Rachel in their bedroom when the phone rang. And as he reached over to pick it up, something deep down told him that it would be bad news…very bad news.

And it was. Alfred was on the line, and despite the fact that he was extremely distraught, the old butler still quickly and efficiently gave Bruce the lowdown on what had just happened.

"Dear God," Bruce muttered, once Alfred was finished laying it all out for him. The situation was even worse than he could imagine.

"I'm waiting for her in the alleyway right now," Alfred said nervously. "But I can now hear sirens, sir, and they're getting louder…."

"Get out of there, Alfred," Bruce quickly told him. "Right now. Get back to the Manor."

"But Miss Barbra--"

"Robin and I will take over," Bruce told him, as he got out of bed. "You just get home, now."

"Very well, Master Bruce."

Bruce hung up the phone and slipped on a pair of pajama bottoms. They would suffice until he got to the Batcave. Rachel tossed the bed sheets aside as she practically leapt out of bed. She pulled on his pajama shirt, which fit her like a dress. As she buttoned up her shirt, Rachel asked, "Bruce, what happened?"

"Wait till we're with Dick, then I'll tell you together," he said, as they both ran out of the bedroom.

Bruce only pounded twice on Dick's bedroom door before it flew open. Dick stood there, clad only in pajama bottoms, and with a severe case of bed hair. "Bruce? What the hell--?"

"The Penguin and his men have attacked Olivia and Alex," he told both him and Rachel. "To make matters worse, Barbara got dressed up as Batgirl and tried to play the hero. We've got to get over there right now."

"Oh, dear God," Rachel whispered in shock.

"Hey, I'm all for a rescue mission," Dick said, as they started running down the hallway. "But it's still daytime."

"We've got no choice," Bruce told him. Then he turned to Rachel. "But there's something that you can do for us."

**B&B**

Rachel ran into the kitchen, and went over to the security panel by the end of the counter. When she reached out for it, she let out a curse when she realized her hands were still covered with the sleeves of the pajama shirt that she had thrown on. It was a couple of sizes too big for her, and in her haste to be of help in this crisis, Rachel had forgotten to roll up the sleeves.

Once she frantically got her hands free of the sleeves, Rachel opened the security panel and looked for a specific button. She quickly found it; a big red button that said FOG.

When Rachel pressed it, the button lit up.

'Is that it?' she wondered. It didn't seem like she had done enough. When something caught her eye outside, Rachel padded over to the large bay windows, where she let out a gasp at the billowing clouds of dense fog that arose from secret vents from all over the manor and the surrounding estate. At the rate it was rising, all of Wayne Manor would be covered by its hidden fog making machines in no time.

Rachel recalled how she made fun of Bruce when he first installed this fog-making system within Wayne Manor. She couldn't possibly fathom at the time what purpose it could serve.

Yet Bruce had simply smiled good-naturedly and said, "You'll never know when you'll need the cover of fog…."

Now Rachel easily saw what he meant. Thanks to this crisis, Batman and Robin had no choice but to leave in broad daylight today. 'But the Batwing can now take off under the cover of this thick soup,' Rachel thought, with a satisfied smile. 'Without any prying eyes seeing them.'

As much as she wanted to stay and watch the fog envelop the estate, Rachel wanted to see the boys off in the Batcave far more. She quickly ran down to the secret entrance, her bare feet silent on the carpeting, and when she emerged in the second story alcove above the Batcave, Rachel was pleased to see that Batman and Robin had just finished suiting up.

"It's done!" she called out to them from the second story railing. "The estate is already covered!"

"Thanks," Batman called, as he and Robin ran up the steps to the Batwing hanger. He paused at the top step. "You might want to make up a cover story, Rachel. Just in case anybody needs to know where Bruce Wayne is today. Because we won't be coming back here."

"WHAT?!" Rachel cried at him. "What do you mean?!"

Yet Batman had already vanished up the steps, and before she could even think of following him, Rachel heard the new Batwing's engines roar to life.

"You're not coming back here?" Rachel asked the empty Batcave. "Why the hell not?"

But the only reply she received was the chittering of the bats in the darkened caverns all around her.

**B&B**

When Batgirl charged at the Penguin and his men, she saw the Penguin raise his umbrella and aim it straight at her. But Batgirl was ready. Using her gymnastic reflexes, she propelled herself forward until she came to a dead stop just short of the tip of the umbrella.

The Penguin looked momentarily surprised at this sudden change in tactics, and Batgirl took advantage of it. She grabbed the tip of the umbrella with both hands and, being careful to keep it pointed away from her, she shoved hard against it.

The Penguin let out an annoyed squawk as Batgirl repeatedly bashed him in the face with the handle of his own umbrella. Once the squat man released the umbrella, Batgirl then swirled around in a tight circle, using the umbrella to bash the heads of the goons who had just tried to attack her.

When they fell back, Batgirl attempted to grab the bound Olivia. who lay helplessly on the floor--until she was stopped when one of the goons grabbed her from behind.

"Ah-ha," he said smugly. His face was pressed against her left shoulder. "Gotcha now, my little Bat-cutie!"

He let out a roar of pain when Batgirl thrust her thumb over her shoulder and right into his eye. When he released her, screaming in pain, Batgirl then stomped on his crotch with the full force of her boot, and then kicked him in the face. He sailed face down to the floor and stayed there, out cold.

"Shoot her!" the Penguin angrily commanded. "Somebody shoot her!"

One of the men smiled broadly as he aimed a taser at Batgirl, while another came up from behind her.

"I'm sure gonna enjoy getting to know you later in bed," the man with the taser sneered, just before he fired.

Batgirl ducked to the floor, and the man who stood behind her let out a cry of agony as he was struck with the taser darts instead. Rolling into an effortless somersault, Batgirl came up and delivered a roundhouse kick to the man armed with the taser.

"BOSS!" one of the Penguin's men called in a panic. "The SWAT team is rolling up outside in an armored truck! We gotta get outa here now!"

"Arrrgh!" the Penguin growled in frustration.

He gestured towards the bound and gagged Olivia, but Batgirl stepped in front of her in a protective manner. She picked up the Penguin's umbrella with a casual kick of her foot and aimed it at them. "She stays with me, boys."

"ARRRGH!" the Penguin hatefully barked at her. His men were already clearing out of the apartment. "This isn't over yet, you little bitch! We _shall_ meet again!"

"Already looking forward to it," Batgirl said with her best smile. "Pengy."

The Penguin gave her one last vicious snarl before he evacuated with the last of his men. As Batgirl quickly bent down and began to untie Olivia, she noted that Olivia stared at something over Batgirl's shoulder with wide eyes.

Expecting another attack, Batgirl leapt over Olivia, and when she landed, it was in a combat stance. Yet once she saw who it was, Batgirl's mouth dropped open in shock.

The Batman had come in through the same window that she did. He bent over Olivia and quickly untied her with a Batdart. "You all right?"

"They took Alex!" Olivia cried, once she removed her gag.

"They did," Batgirl confirmed. She sadly shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Liv."

"Help Olivia get up to the roof," Batman told her.

Batgirl took one of Olivia's arms over her shoulders and helped her over to the window. She glanced back and saw the Batman pick up one of the Penguin's goons--the only one who had been left behind. It was the guy whom Batgirl had taken down by sticking her thumb into his eye and then kicking him in the crotch.

They went up to the roof via the fire escape, where Batgirl saw the new Batwing hovering over the building like a great black bird of prey. When Olivia grunted in pain beside her, Batgirl's eyes grew wide when she saw that Olivia was much worse off then she initially appeared. Olivia held her other arm close to her chest, and Batgirl could see that it was badly bruised. Her left eye was black and blue and starting to swell, and even her stomach and sides were bruised and bleeding. Olivia had been severely beaten, perhaps while she had been helplessly trussed up.

'That evil man!' Batgirl angrily thought, regarding the Penguin. Now she was sorry that she didn't have the chance to wring his thick neck.

A door opened on the side of the Batwing, and a staircase extended for them just underneath--which impressed Batgirl to no end. 'This Batwing's much bigger than the old one,' she realized. She turned to Olivia and said, "Just a few more feet, Liv…."

"I-I can make it," Olivia firmly replied, even though she grimaced in pain.

Just then, Batgirl froze when the building's stairwell door flew open, and a young female police officer charged onto the roof with her gun drawn. "POLICE!" she shouted at them. "FREEZE!"

"Katie?" Olivia said, as she squinted at the young cop. "Kate Farlane? Do you remember me? I'm Olivia."

"How could I ever forget you, Inspector?" Kate replied. "You saved my life just a few hours ago in the Penguin's nightclub. That's why, when I heard over the dispatch radio that you were the subject of an 'officer needs assistance' call, I came running--even though I'm now off duty."

"You really want to pay me back, Katie?" Olivia said. "Then let us go. Please? A woman's life--my lover, Alex--depends on it."

Batgirl was heartened to see Kate had promptly lowered her gun and turned her back towards them.

"Move it," Batman called. "Now!"

They scrambled aboard the Batwing, and Robin was at the entrance to help Batgirl with Olivia. "Who's he?" he asked when Batman carried the goon aboard.

"One of the Penguin's men," Batman replied. "Cuff his hands to the chair, Robin. I'm going to have a little chat with him once he wakes up."

"Ooooo, I sure wouldn't want to be you!" Robin said to the unconscious man, as he handcuffed his hands to the back of the chair.

Batman assumed the controls at the front of the spacious cabin and piloted the Batwing away from the area. Batgirl was about to go up and talk with him, until Olivia suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Thank you," Olivia said tearfully. "For what you did back there. Thank you so much…."

Batgirl was so stunned she was momentarily speechless. "But I-I didn't save Alex," she whispered. "I-I'm sorry, Liv…."

"But by saving me, you gave Alex that much more of a fighting chance," Olivia told her. "You know, I was so wrong about you. I thought you were just a silly little kid who wasn't ready for this. But, after seeing you in action, I realize now that you _are_ ready. And you're every bit as much of a hero as Batman and Robin are…Batgirl."

"Aww, Liv," Batgirl said, touched. But her sentimental mood was shattered when the Batwing abruptly bucked hard to the right.

When she saw Olivia cringe in pain as she held her badly bruised arm tightly to her chest, Batgirl realized with horror that it was broken.

"I'll be right back, Liv," Batgirl told her, as she went up to the front of the cabin.

"Sorry about that," Batman said over his shoulder. "I was ducking a police helicopter."

"They're pretty persistent buggers," Robin said, as he gazed at the radar screen on the console. "They're still in pursuit."

"Olivia needs some serious medical attention," Batgirl whispered to Batman. "Her arm--"

"--is broken. Yes, I know," he replied.

"The sooner we get back to the Batcave," Robin said, "the better."

"We're not going back to the Batcave," Batman told him.

"We're not?!" Batgirl asked, shocked. "Why?"

The radar screen began beeping wildly as two new blips appeared on a fast attack vector, headed straight towards them.

"That's why," Batman said, as he gestured at the blips on the radar. "They're fighters, scrambled out of McHenry Air Force Base, which is just North of here. And they're after us."

"They actually sent fighters after us?!" Robin said, stunned. "Holy overkill, Batman!"

"Now you see why I don't normally go out during the day," Batman muttered, as he pulled the Batwing up into a sweeping skywards climb. "Batgirl, sit down and strap yourself in. And make sure Liv is secure, as well."

Batgirl buckled Olivia's seatbelt for her, then she strapped herself in. Batgirl then became alarmed when Olivia had passed right out on her. "Liv? LIV?! Batman, she's out cold!"

"Just hang on, Batgirl," he called back. "It's just a few more minutes, now."

When she glanced out the windows, Batgirl saw the skies were getting black. "Are you taking us into outer space?!"

"Just into earth orbit," Batman said. "Don't worry; this baby was originally built for a trip just like this."

"But what's in earth's orbit?" Robin asked.

"The only place that can offer us sanctuary right now," Batman responded.

**B&B**

Kal-el carefully watched the situation in the South Pacific. He stood alone in the main control center of the Justice League satellite, watching on the main monitor a growing storm that threatened to become a typhoon. Kal-el frowned when he saw that a passenger ship was sailing directly into the nascent typhoon. They should have been warned about the storm by now--if nothing else, their own instruments should have alerted them--yet they still sailed straight into it.

'Perhaps they'll just skirt the edge of the storm,' Kal-el thought. 'In either case, I'll keep an eye on them from here.'

He chuckled wanly. Kal-el had originally arrived at the abandoned Justice League satellite with the intent of throwing it into the sun. Since the official disbanding of the League, the US military had been clamoring for something to be done with the satellite, with General Hardcastle threatening to have it shot down himself. Kal-el had volunteered to go up himself and perform the grim duty of getting rid of the satellite. But Kal-el discovered that he couldn't resist one last look around the place before he destroyed it. And that was how he presently found himself manning the console while watching a developing typhoon.

As he kept an eye on the massive ocean storm, Kal-el ran the events of the last few days through his mind. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of any different--or better--way of handling the crisis. Things had just gotten so blown out of proportion that there was no choice but for the League to disband, in the hope that tensions would be diffused. However, judging from some of the stories that had been getting back to Kal-el--such as the raid on the X-Men's home and headquarters--it now appeared that things were only getting worse.

Wonder Woman returned to Paradise Island, possibly for good, and now the Flash has announced his retirement. The rest of the League members had scattered, and were, for the most part, out of touch--with many of them now being hunted by law enforcement.

'What the hell went wrong?' Kal-el dismally wondered--and not for the first time. 'How did something that was created with only the best of intentions wind up ending so badly?'

He was startled by a steady beeping that emitted from the console. Kal-el was amazed to see that it was the proximity alert; something was approaching the satellite! He checked a side monitor and saw a small black ship had entered the docking bay.

'It must have had the proper clearance code, or else it never would have made it this far without being challenged by the auto-defense systems,' Kal-el thought, as he ran down to the docking bay. 'But I don't recognize the ship….'

He emerged into a hallway with a door at the end. Just as he walked up to it, the door slid open, and Kal-el was stunned at what he saw.

Batman stood there, with Robin at his side, along with a young, red-haired woman who was also dressed in a Bat-themed outfit. Batman held a battered and bruised woman in his arms. Wrapped in a blanket, she was moaning in pain, despite being unconscious. Kal-el was further shocked to see that he recognized this woman: it was Olivia Benson.

"She needs medical help," Batman urgently told him. "Right now."

Kal-el snapped out of his shock long enough to point to his right. "This way! Hurry!"

**B&B**

He watched Nora from his perch just outside of her hospital room, and he never felt more content than he did at that moment. The Batman did not lie to him before; Nora was indeed safely out of the Penguin's clutches, and back where she belonged in her hospital bed, being intently looked after by a pair of nurses.

It was over.

He just wished that he could at least go inside and caress her face. He wanted to be by her side. Being so close--and yet so far--from her was killing him.

The TV was chattering away, and when the name Penguin was mentioned, one of the nurses raised the sound level so that she and her partner could hear the news.

"We've just received word that the Penguin and his men have assaulted the home of Gotham City Police Inspector Olivia Benson," the reporter, a woman, said. "Police are now at the scene in force, but there is no further word on the condition of Inspector Benson, or her companion, Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot."

"Daphne, with this bold attack on two powerful and influential members of Gotham City law enforcement," the news anchor cut in, "would it be safe to assume that the Penguin is now the new crime lord of Gotham City?"

'The Penguin,' he thought, as he felt the rage build up within him like a rising tide of lava. 'Damn him….'

When he heard a crumbling sound, he glanced over and saw that his hand had been gripping the bricks so hard that they were breaking up into dust. The sound alerted the nurses, who both looked over at the window in alarm. And so he quickly scaled the side of the hospital wall until he reached the roof.

And that was where he had made his decision.

The Penguin and his men had assumed, whenever he was encased in his icy cocoon, that he could not hear them. And so they had foolishly spoke of things right in front of him--private matters, like the location of the Penguin's new hideout--and he had heard it all, and marked it down for future reference. He did not know the exact address, but thanks to one of the babblermouths whom he had overheard while encased in his cocoon, he knew the hideout was one of the old warehouses in the Iron View section of the city. All he would have to do was search the warehouses in the area; it should just be a matter of time before he found the Penguin's lair.

As he began his quest, he realized that he had been wrong before. This was not over--not by a long shot.

And it wouldn't be over…until the Penguin lay dead by his hand.

**B&B**

Olivia awoke with a start.

She lay on what looked like some sort of hospital bed--but the place appeared to be one of the most modern-looking hospitals she had ever seen, like something out of Star Trek. There was a tray that hovered above her bed with what looked like glowing crystals embedded within it--all of which were pointed straight down at her.

Olivia's eyes grew wide when she saw Barbra Gordon sat cross-legged on the bed next to hers. The young woman wore her Batgirl costume, sans her mask. She had a grave expression of concern as she stared down sadly at the space in front of her.

Yet before she could even get the girl's attention, someone strode up to the bed that Olivia lay on and said, "It's good to see you're all right, Inspector Benson."

Olivia was stunned to see it was Superman who smiled down at her. Barbra let out a little squeal of delight as she climbed off of the bed she was on and came over to her. "Are you all right, Liv?"

Olivia did a double take in alarm when she realized that Barbra stood partially clad in her Batgirl outfit in front of Superman. "Where the hell is your mask, young lady?!"

"Oh, it's all right," she assured Olivia. "Everybody knows who everybody is already."

"Really?" Olivia stared in amazement at Superman, who gave her a nod.

"Yeah," Barbra said. "Dick and I were shocked when we saw Bruce take off his mask in front of Superman. But they're old friends."

"It was Batman who gave the Justice League this satellite, and that was when he revealed his true identity to me," Superman said. He then held out his hand to Olivia. "By the way, as long as everybody now knows each other, my name's Clark Kent."

"Kent?!" Olivia said with shock, as she numbly shook his hand. "The mild-mannered reporter from the Daily Planet?!"

"The one and the same," he replied. "Although, I'd appreciate it if you'd kept that little fact under your hat, Inspector. If you know what I mean."

"Uh, yeah, of course!" Olivia said, still stunned at this turn of events. As she sat up on the bed, she bent her arm--which Olivia could have sworn was broken before. "Um, I recall being in pretty bad shape--and it's not that I'm complaining, but what happened?"

"Superman healed you, using this medical facility," Barbra said, sounding as if she were in complete awe. "How do you feel?"

"Great," Olivia replied. "My arm is just fine, now. How long was I out?"

"About twenty minutes," Superman told her. "You also had a busted spleen and a concussion. All of which was healed, as well. But you should still rest. The healing process takes a lot of energy out of you."

"Are these crystal things above me the healing machine?" When Superman nodded, Olivia slowly shook her head. "This is amazing!"

"It's Kryptonian technology," Barbra said. Her smile then faded. "It's a shame he has to throw it all into the sun."

"What?" Olivia asked. "Why?"

"The U.S. government's making him," Barbra explained. "They won't be satisfied unless the satellite is destroyed. Like it's not enough that he disbanded the League for the them…."

"This whole situation is certainly screwed up," Olivia said darkly. "Where's Batman and Robin?"

"Questioning one of the Penguin's captured men," Superman replied. "They're trying to get the location of the Penguin's hideout from him right now."

"Once we get it, we'll go rescue Alex," Barbra said.

"But you should still rest up, Inspector," Superman insisted.

"No," Olivia said flatly. "I'm going with them. Alex will need me."

Superman regarded Barbra with a slight smile. "I now see what Bruce was talking about. She can be quite tenacious!"

"Like a pit bull!" Barbra added with a grin.

Olivia rolled her eyes in annoyance at this reaction. But before she could say anything, Batman and Robin strode into the medical bay. As he approached Olivia's bed, Batman pulled off his cowl, and it was Bruce who gave her a tight hug.

"How are you, sis?" he asked, sounding relieved. "You look much better."

"I _am_ much better, thank you," she replied. "Did you get anything out of the guy?"

"You kidding?" Robin answered with a grin. "He was so eager to tell us that he even drew us a map, showing exactly where the place is!"

"Then let's go get Alex," Olivia said.

"You should rest," Bruce thoughtfully told her. "Maybe we'll risk dropping you off somewhere within Gotham City before we--"

"The hell you will!" she shot back. "I'll rest when I have Alex safe and sound in my arms, and not before."

Bruce then gave Superman an exasperated look. "See what I mean?"

Superman nodded, smiling. "A real pit bull. Reminds me of you."

Bruce looked wounded. "I'm not as bad as _she_ is!"

"No," Superman said, grinning, "you're even worse!"

"Actually, we like to call her the Huntress," Robin told Superman.

The Man Of Steel nodded in approval as he got something from a closet. "I like that name better than pit bull. The Huntress is more fitting for you, Inspector."

"Would you please give it a rest with that stupid name?" Olivia asked Robin, annoyed. "For the last time, I'm not a superhero!"

"It's probably just as well we keep Liv with us," Barbra said. "If we couldn't return to the Batcave, then dropping her off somewhere in Gotham would probably be equally dangerous."

Superman placed a pair of running shoes and a hoodie on the bed next to Olivia. "They're clean, and should fit you."

"Thank you," Olivia said, as she gratefully accepted them. She was starting to feel underdressed, clad as she was only in her sports bra and jeans. As she got dressed, Olivia glanced over at Bruce. "You couldn't go back to the Batcave? Why not?"

"Gotham City, along with every major city that has a superhero, is being watched," Bruce told her, as he pulled his Bat cowl back on. "By U.S. spy satellites. Even when I was normally coming and going with the Batwing at night, I was always careful to change my routes--and often, I'd leave the Batwing at home and take the Batmobile, or the Tumbler, just to break up the routine. But now that we're out in the daytime, heading back to Wayne Manor would have been a _really_ bad idea."

"I guess that's what the X-Men did wrong," Barbra said forlornly, as she put on her own cowl. "They weren't as careful as you are. And that was how they got caught."

"If you mean they weren't as devious and paranoid as I am, then you're right," Batman said.

"Actually, speaking of paranoia, I've been meaning to ask you something," Superman said to Batman. "Over the last few days, I've been hearing about something called the Cadmus Project. Have you heard of this?"

"Cadmus?" Batman asked. Then he shook his head. "Never heard the name. Do you know what it refers to?"

"It's been mentioned in several conversations that I've had," Superman said. "Most notably, the President briefly spoke of it when I was with him at the White House. He implied that it could against us as a serious threat if we didn't get in line."

"Against who?" Olivia asked.

"All of us," Superman said grimly. "The superheroes."

Batman shook his head. "As I've said, I haven't heard the name. But when the dust settles from our dealings with the Penguin, I'll look into it." He glanced at Olivia, Batgirl and Robin. "Speaking of which, is everybody ready to go after that little bastard and rescue Alex?"

Before there was even a reply, Olivia was startled when an alarm sounded. "What's that? Are we under attack?"

"No," Superman said. "But it's still not good."

He led them to the main deck, where the master console was located. Olivia recognized this place; the last time she was here, she had attended the very first meeting of the Justice League, which had been filled with superheroes of every size and power. Now, the place looked very empty and desolate without the rest of the League.

"I've been tracking an ocean liner in the South Pacific," Superman said. "It's in the general area of a typhoon--and now I see that it stupidly went straight in and is in danger of sinking. Looks like I won't be going back to Gotham City with you after all. Sorry, Batman; wish I could have been of more help."

"You been a huge help already," Batman told him. "Thank you."

As they rode down to the docking bay in the elevator, where Superman would split up from them and head for the South Seas, Olivia became overwhelmed by a great depression when she realized that Superman was going to throw this place--this marvelous satellite, with all of its amazing technology--right into the sun.

"Don't do it," she abruptly said to Superman. "Please don't destroy this place!"

The Man Of Steel actually looked taken aback. "I have no choice, Inspector."

"Yes, you do," she said. "This place is a symbol of peace--of hope. And as long as people know that the Justice League satellite still exists, then it might just be enough to get them through these dark days."

"She has a point," Batman said. "Besides, should the League ever get back together again, someday, they'll need their clubhouse back."

Superman stared at him, astonished. "If you--of all people--think something like that is even possible, then perhaps I _will_ tuck this satellite into a nice, out of the way hiding spot in the orbit of the dark side of the moon."

As the elevator opened and they emerged into the docking bay, Olivia turned to Superman and said, "I'm glad you've changed your mind, Superman. Because we all need hope in order to survive rough times like this."

"As long as there are people such as yourselves who continue to fight, there will always be hope, Inspector--or, should I say, Huntress," Superman replied, smiling. He glanced at all of them and added, "Good hunting."

As Olivia got into the Batwing and took her seat, she shot a murderous glare at the bound and gagged thug who was across from her. For all of their high talk about hope, there still remained the fact that poor Alex was now back in the clutches of the Penguin.

'Hold on, Alex,' Olivia desparately thought. 'Just hold on, baby! We're all coming for you!'

**B&B**

Alex let out a moan of discomfort from under her gag. She hung in the middle of a bare, concrete room with her bound wrists trussed up above her head to a hook that hung from a chain. What little clothing Alex had on when she was kidnapped had been cut off, leaving her nude. Even her glasses had been removed--but despite this, she still noticed the drain in the floor just beneath her dangling feet. This worried her. What was that drain supposed to catch? Her blood?

The two men had casually entered the room, and at first they ignored the bound, naked woman in their midst as they quietly and proficiently hung up their coats and then began arranging various tools and instruments of torture on wheeled trays. Alex became even more anxious when they set up a pair of video cameras on tripods--she realized that whatever they were going to do to her, it would be caught on tape.

The men paused in their grisly preparations when they heard a loud, banging sound that was muffled through the wall. They both glanced at each other, and then shrugged.

"Somebody with butterfingers dropped something," one of them said.

"Sounds like something very big," the other replied with a chuckle.

Alex couldn't believe the calmness of these two--they sounded like they were working just another day at the office. But then, they were professional torturers. She had come across some of the hideous work of men like them--such as the mutilated bodies of mob turncoats who were caught and made an example of--many times as an ADA.

And now she would be their next victim.

When one of the men came up to her and removed Alex's gag, the other asked, "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Penguin's orders," his partner replied. "He wants to be able to clearly hear her scream for mercy on the tape."

"Like hell I will!" Alex said defiantly.

"Oh, you will, sweetheart," the man said, as he lit an acetylene torch. "Trust me, you will be screaming before you know it."

The other man double-checked both video cameras. "We're rolling."

"Then let's get this show on the road," the man with the torch said.

Alex's eyes grew wide with terror as he approached her with the torch held out. 'Olivia, honey,' she solemnly thought, 'I love you with all my heart….'

But the man with the torch paused when they heard yet another banging sound--this time, it sounded closer.

"What the hell_ is_ that?" he angrily asked.

The answer came when the wall to Alex's left suddenly caved in. Concrete cinder blocks fell like little toy blocks as a massive, ice-clad figure stepped through the hole in the wall and entered the torture chamber.

"Finally found you," Mr. Freeze said with triumph.

"Jesus Christ!" the man with the torch screamed.

"No. Mr. Freeze," the iceman corrected him. "Where is the Penguin?"

The man tried to hold up the torch at Mr. Freeze, in a feeble attempt to use it as a weapon, but the ice man effortlessly grabbed his arm and knocked the torch out of his hand. Then Mr. Freeze abruptly halted once he got a good look at the trussed up Alex, who helplessly hung before him.

"What the hell is going on, here?" Mr. Freeze asked the man in a flat tone of voice that was terrifying to hear. "What were you about to do to her?"

The man nervously shook his head. "Look, for whatever it's worth--what we were about to do to her--it was just a job. It was nothing personal, y'know?"

"Yes," Mr. Freeze said, as his hands grew into icy claws. "And neither is this…."

He then dug his claws into the man's body--one in his chest, the other in his waist--and ripped him apart into two pieces. Mr. Freeze flung the two bloodied stumps of the man's body across the room in opposite directions. It all happened so fast that the man never even had a chance to scream.

When the other would-be torturer started to run for the door, Mr. Freeze snapped off one of the icicles that grew from the tip of one of his fingers and threw it at the man like a javelin. The man let out an anguished cry as the razor-sharp shaft of ice impaled him straight through his back. He stared in horror at the bloodied tip of ice that protruded out his chest as he stumbled in a daze through the doorway.

"N-No!" Alex cried in terror, when Mr. Freeze turned towards her. "No, please, don't--"

But he surprised her by slashing the ropes that bound her ankles together. Then he slashed the ropes that tied her wrists to the hook above her head. When Alex landed on the floor, she took a few unsteady steps away from the iceman. Yet Mr. Freeze surprised her even further when he grabbed one of the men's coats from a hook on the wall and held it out to her.

"T-Thank you," Alex said, as she accepted the coat and quickly put it on. Thankfully, it was a long trench coat, which hung down past her knees. She saw how intently Mr. Freeze stared at her--and was stunned to see that he almost appeared frightened. "I-Is there something wrong?"

He blew out the sheet of ice that covered his mouth, and when he spoke, it was tender and gentle. "You…you look just like her…."

**B&B**

"This is important," Scanlon told Ted, as they strode down the hallway. "We've got to make sure that somebody stays on watch at the north entrance all--"

Scanlon stopped talking when he saw Ted wasn't paying any attention to him. Instead, Ted gazed at something in horror that was directly in front of them.

Scanlon's expression soon matched that of Ted's when he saw the man staggering towards them with something sticking out of his chest. It was one of the professional torture guys whom the Penguin had hired to work over the Cabot chick. Scanlon had wanted to stick around and watch them, but they only worked in strict privacy--like they were a pair of damned artists, or something.

Now one of them fell to the floor in front of Scanlon and Ted and lay very still, as if he were dead. Scanlon's eyes grew even wider when he saw the icicle that stuck out of the man's back.

It took a few moments for the synapses within Scanlon's dull, and not-too-bright brain to register the fact that the man had been killed by an icicle. Once this happened, Scanlon spun around and ran as fast as he could down the hallway, with a confused Ted following him.

"PENGUIN!" Scanlon shouted. "PENGUIN, MR. FREEZE IS HERE!"

**B&B**

When they heard the yelling outside of the room, Alex realized that they must have discovered the other man whom Freeze impaled.

Mr. Freeze also recognized the urgency of the situation, as well. He glanced over in the direction of the shouting and said, "I must get you out of here, Nora."

Alex was about to remind him of her real name, but before she could do so, Mr. Freeze swiftly picked her up in the crook of his arm and held her like a baby as he strode out of the torture room with her.

'Now I know what Fay Wray must have felt like when she met King Kong,' Alex thought, as she struggled to get comfortable against the icy armor that covered Mr. Freeze's arm and body.

Mr. Freeze strode fearlessly with her down a narrow hallway, which led to a vast chamber that had large pieces of rusted old machinery that were bolted to the floor. Alex heard murmuring from behind them, and when she glanced up, her eyes grew large with fear.

The Penguin stood with a group of his thugs on a catwalk that was directly above them. And two of the Penguin's thugs were armed with what looked like flamethrowers.

"Freeze!" Alex screamed, just as the thugs aimed the flamethrowers right at them. "Behind you!"

But it was too late. The flamethrowers spat out twin dragon's breath of fire directly onto Mr. Freeze's back, and he writhed in pain. He dropped Alex, who deliberately rolled along the concrete floor several times. She didn't know if she'd been hit, but she didn't want to take a chance. Thankfully, as she quickly examined herself, Alex saw that she had not been hit by the volley of fire.

But Mr. Freeze was not so lucky.

He let out a loud roar of pain as the fire blazed all over his back. Alex watched in horror as the iceman collapsed face down on the floor and lay there.

"Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!" the Penguin barked out his despicable laugh. "Hot enough for you, Freeze? That's a napalm derivative you've been hit with. Essentially, you're covered in burning jelly that's sweared all over your body! And it will keep burning until you're nothing but ashes. Hit him again!"

"No!" Alex screamed, as the flamethrowers erupted once more, smothering the prone Mr. Freeze with even more fire. "STOP IT! YOU'RE KILLING HIM!"

"That's the idea, my dear Ms. Cabot," the Penguin called down to her. "Break out the mashmellows, boys! Because Mr. Freeze looks to be about done! Care to join us for the cookout, Ms. Cabot?"

'Oh, God,' Alex thought, as she broke into a fantic run. She stopped when a goon blocked her way. Then Alex ran in the opposite direction--until another goon appeared, holding his hands out.

When Alex tried to run away in a third direction, she wound up colliding into yet another goon, who grabbed her in a vise-like embrace. Alex fought like a tiger, but the man held onto her arms firmly.

She stopped fighting when a shiny blade was thrust at her face. Alex instinctively drew back as the blade, which was on the tip of the Penguin's umbrella, dropped down and sliced off the buttons of the trench coat that she wore. The coat fell open, revealing all for the Penguin, who smiled malevolently at her.

"Freeze killed the torturers, Penguin," one of the goons said.

"It's just as well," the Penguin replied as he raised the knife on the end of the umbrella so that it pointed right at Alex's throat. "Why leave the fun for others when you can do it for yourself, eh?"

"Oh, God," Alex sobbed, as she glanced over at the burning shape on the ground that was once Mr. Freeze. The two men who were armed with the flamethrowers stood guard over their victim. "You bastard…."

"Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!" the Penguin laughed, as his cigarette holder shot up in the air. "If you think I'm a bastard now, my dear, just wait until I get done with _you_…."

**To be concluded in the next and final chapter....**


	12. Chapter 12

_My thanks, as always, to Zarathustra1030, RebelByrdie and FrozenFire676 for their kind comments. And my thanks to all of you who left comments on this story. I would also like to thank those of you who have added this story to your alerts/faves lists. _

**Batman & Benson 4**

**Chapter 12**

Alex stood there stoically, trying not to look as frightened as she felt, as two of the Penguin's goons firmly held her in place by her arms. The Penguin stood in front of Alex with an umbrella pointed at her. The tip of the umbrella contained a knife, which he used to jab at her. The Penguin was careful enough to never actually stab Alex; he merely jabbed the blade at her, which caused Alex to flinch--all the while the goons who held her in place kept pushing her ever forward into the Penguin's thrusting blade. To add insult to injury, Alex was nude underneath the trench coat that she wore, and when the Penguin had cut off the buttons earlier, the coat fell open, exposing her nakedness.

And yet, despite the fact that she found herself once more in the nightmarish situation of being a captive of the Penguin, Alex began to feel the stirrings of a very surprising emotion: rage.

After all, the Penguin was the epitome of the type of lowlife scumbag whom Alex and the Special Victims Unit were dedicated to fighting. And the realization of that fact only served to make Alex even more angry.

It was this build up of anger that made Alex patiently watch the Penguin carefully as she bided her time. And when she saw her chance, Alex lunged forward as far as she could and kicked the Penguin in the stomach.

The squat little man let out a squawk of surprise and pain as the force of Alex's kick sent him falling back on his butt. His eyes were so wide with shock that his monocle had fallen out from in front of his eye and now dangled from its chain.

Alex laughed at him in defiance even as the goons pulled her back into a bear hug. Alex realized that she would now probably be beaten very badly--if not killed outright--for what she just did. But it was still well worth it.

'I got my kick in,' Alex triumphantly thought, as she watched the Penguin glare at her with pure malice, 'let him do his worse to me….'

They were all startled by a loud rumbling sound, and when Alex saw a wall crashing inwards on the opposite side of the vast room they were in, she briefly thought Mr. Freeze had somehow healed himself and was on the loose again. But a glance at the poor man, who still lay face down on the floor, with half his body burnt, told Alex that it wasn't Mr. Freeze.

Alex stood stunned, right along with her captors, when she saw a great black aircraft emerge right over their heads. The two men who were armed with the flamethrowers tried shooting at it--but they had no effect as it landed directly on top of them, causing them to back off to a safe position. A door opened on the side, with a staircase extending downwards.

Then Alex was shocked to see a bound and gagged man come tumbling down the steps. The flamethrower-armed men nearly shot him, until they abruptly raised their weapons once they saw who it was.

And once they did that, once they were distracted by the bound and gagged man, that was when the Batman struck.

Alex let out a surprised gasp as the Dark Knight shot out of the aircraft like an avenging demon and literally bowled over the two flamethrower-armed men. Once Batman got them on the floor, they were down for the count. Robin then emerged from the craft and slugged out a third man who ran up to try and help his friends.

"Arrgh!" the Penguin roared at his men. "What are you nitwits waiting for? Kill them!"

When the goons released Alex, she started to run as fast as she could towards the craft--which must be the new Batwing; this monster was three times the size of the old one. Yet before she was even halfway there, another of the Penguin's goons grabbed her by the arm and expertly twisted it behind her back.

Alex's eyes grew wide as the man quickly bound her wrists together behind her with the clasp from the trench coat that she wore. As he easily hefted her over his shoulder, she cried, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"This party's over," the man said, as he carried her down a tunnel. "But we're gonna have our own little party, baby--just you and me!"

'I don't believe this,' Alex thought in a panic. 'I'm being kidnapped from my kidnappers?! This must be a new one for the books!'

As she helplessly watched as the Batwing, along with her saviors, became farther and farther away as the man carried her further down the tunnel, Alex did the only thing she could do.

"HELP ME!" she cried at the top of her lungs. "SOMEBODY HELP ME, PLEASE!"

**B&B**

_Five minutes earlier._

"Um, where are we gonna land?" Batgirl asked, once they found the specific warehouse in the Iron View section that the Penguin used as his lair.

'To hell with landing,' Olivia thought impatiently. 'For all we know, they might be harming Alex right now. Just crash the gates!'

"Shouldn't we be slowing down?" Robin nervously asked Batman.

"No," Batman said curtly. "Everybody hold on."

'Bless you, Bruce,' Olivia thought with a smile.

"Wait!" Batgirl cried in alarm, as the Batwing sailed straight at the brick wall. "Can this thing withstand a crash like this?!"

"We're about to find out," Olivia told her, as she grabbed Batgirl's gloved hand. "Brace yourself."

She and Batgirl held onto each other as the Batwing smashed its way through the brick wall. Batman was careful to aim the Batwing in-between support struts, which were clearly visible from the outside. So all they collided with were bricks. Once they were inside the warehouse, Olivia saw a group of people assembled over in the corner, while two men who were armed with flamethrowers stood over a badly burnt man on the opposite side from the others.

"Good God, is that Freeze lying down there?" Robin asked.

"Let's find out," Batman said, as he landed the Batwing over the injured man. After shooting at them, flame thrower-armed men to backed away, but they still aimed their weapons at the Batwing. Batman then pressed the button to open the hatch. Then he got up and moved to the end of the cabin.

"Batman wait! They'll nail us once we come down the steps," Robin warned him.

"Not if we have a distraction," Batman said, as he grabbed the bound and gagged goon and hauled him up with both hands. Batman pressed his face close to the thug's and growled, "Ladies first…."

Then the Dark Knight flung the hapless man down the steps. Before he left he pointed at Olivia and firmly said, "You stay here. Batgirl, watch over her."

"But I feel fine!" she insisted--for all the good it did her, because Batman was already gone.

"We'll find Alex, Liv," Robin promised, just before he went out to join the battle. "Don't worry."

Yet with a quick glance at the full-on battle that occurred just outside the Batwing, all Olivia could do _was_ worry. Where the hell was Alex in all of this? Was she even being kept here?

Then Olivia heard something so terrifying that it stopped her right in her tracks.

"Help me!" It was the unmistakable sound of Alex, her love, crying out for help. "Somebody help me, please!"

"ALEX!" Olivia cried, as she ran down the flight of stairs. "I'M COMING, BABY!"

"Olivia!" Batgirl angrily shouted from behind her. "Damn it!"

"You stay put!" Olivia called back at her. She paused when she saw Victor Fries lying prone on the floor beside her. Then she glanced up at the sight of a blonde being carried off down a long dark tunnel, and Olivia was off once more.

"Alex!" Olivia cried, as she ran straight past gunfights and other assorted melee. "I'm coming, Alex! I'm coming!"

**B&B**

"Arrrgh!" the Penguin angrily roared, as he glanced over and saw Olivia Benson and that pesky little Bat-brat. He raised his umbrella to shoot them--until he realized that he carried the wrong one; this was his knife umbrella.

'I really should get an all-in-one model,' the Penguin thought, as he tossed away the umbrella, 'sort of like a Swiss Army Umbrella.'

The Penguin cringed as he watched Batman and Robin plow through his men as if they were so much bowling pins. Knowing when to call it a day, he quickly ran down the narrow corridor--as fast as his pudgy little body could go--towards the mini-Penguin jet he had stashed on a balcony. As much as he hated to leave a fight, the Penguin also valued the importance of living to fight another day...something which he fully intended to do now.

And the next time he had those Cabot and Benson dykes in his possession, the Penguin swore to himself that there would be no more toying around--he would just have them killed instantly. The Penguin was already looking forward to his next meeting with Batman and his little extended family, once he arrived at the Penguin jet.

He stopped when he heard a sound. He reached into the cockpit of the mini-jet and pulled out a machine gun umbrella. That little Bat-brat might have seen him and gave chase. Won't she be in for a surprise! When he heard another small sound that echoed to his left, the Penguin grunted in annoyance as he aimed his gun in that direction--only to see nothing.

"Come and get me you little Bat-bitch!" he angrily called. "I'm ready for you!"

"I've been called many things in my time," Batman's voice echoed throughout the darkened chamber. "But this is the first time I've ever been called _that_…."

"Arrrrgh!" the Penguin growled, as he backed up against the mini-jet.

Little did the Penguin realize that he backed right into the Dark Knight, who reached down and pulled the umbrella gun out of his arms with ease. Then he shoved the Penguin onto the ground.

As the Penguin glared hatefully up at him, Batman broke the back of the umbrella gun against his knee and then tossed the shattered parts to the side. Then Batman glared back down at the Penguin and said, "Who's the bitch, _now_?"

**B&B**

'I don't frigging believe this!' Olivia thought, as she ran down the tunnel. It looked as if Alex had just been abducted by one of Penguin's men--unless the Penguin instructed him to do so, but Olivia wasn't too sure of that.

She hesitated once she arrived at a fork in the tunnel. There was light coming from the one on her left--and once Olivia heard Alex let out a scream, she nodded and ran full steam ahead.

She emerged in what looked like an empty parking garage. The man was ahead of her, trying to stuff a struggling Alex into the rear seat of a sedan.

Olivia ran up to him; his back was facing her. "Excuse me," she said, in a meekly polite tone of voice, "but you forgot something…."

When the man turned around, Olivia slugged him across the face. He stumbled, looking dazed, until Olivia slugged him once more, and then he went down for good.

Alex lay on the back seat, still in hysterics. Her would-be abductor was in the process of binding her ankles together, and she still struggled desperately to free herself--even after Olivia had grabbed her legs.

"Alex! ALEX!" Olivia called. "It's me, sweetie! It's me!"

Alex stopped struggling long enough to stare at her in shock momentarily. Then she sat up and allowed herself to be hugged tightly by Olivia. "It's all right, Alex," Olivia assured her, as she reached down and untied Alex's wrists. "You're safe, now…."

Alex's body tensed up within Olivia's embrace as she said, "Oh, no we're not, Liv…."

Olivia glanced over her shoulder, at what Alex saw, and her mouth dropped open at the sight of another one of the Penguin's men who stood there, aiming a machine gun at the both of them.

"I'm getting out of here," he said. "And you two are my hostages!"

Just then, Batgirl charged at him from the side with a high flying kick to his head. The man fell back, dropping the gun, and before he could even recover, Batgirl delivered another savage kick to his face, knocking him out.

"Good Christ!" Alex cried, stunned. "Is that Bar--?"

Olivia slapped her hand over Alex's mouth. "It's Batgirl. Batgirl! Don't say her real name!"

"I wasn't going to!" Alex replied, annoyed. Then, as she gazed at Olivia, she broke into a grin. "It's great to be arguing with you, again, Liv."

Olivia pulled her into another tight hug. "Thank God I got to you in time."

"Thank God, and thanks to you, as well," Alex said as they parted.

Batgirl bent down and quickly untied Alex's ankles for her. "Are you all right, Alex?"

"I'm fine, love," Alex replied, with a broad smile. "Thanks to you, as well, Batgirl."

Batgirl blushed--her cheeks actually turned a bright red in embarrassment--as she just gave them a shy shrug in response. Olivia gave a hearty laugh; she thought it was the most cutest sight she'd seen in years.

**B&B**

"Let's go, Penguin," Batman said, as he lifted the squat little man up from the floor. "It's over."

"Yes, it is, Batman," he replied. "For the both of us."

Batman glared at him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know full well, my leathery-winged friend," the Penguin said. "The Justice League has been disbanded, and most of your costumed colleagues have either been forced into retirement, or are being hunted by the government. I suspect that times for you will become far more harder…unless you wish to join me in my escape."

Batman shook his head. "You never give up, do you?"

"Neither do you, Batman. You're already a fugitive in the eyes of the law--this is the thanks that you get, after all of your tireless work for the public? Why not embrace your inner criminal and come with me, eh? The short-lived age of the superhero has come to an end. Together, we can start a new age. Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

"But you're forgetting something, Penguin," Batman said.

"And what might that be?"

"I never said I _was_ a superhero--and if they really want to hunt me, they're welcome to try," Batman told him, just before he punched the Penguin into unconsciousness. The Batman then picked up the knocked out criminal and carried him over his shoulder like a limp sack.

When he arrived at the Batwing, Batman was grateful to see Alex was with Olivia, Batgirl and Robin. They were huddled around Mr. Freeze.

Robin gave him a grin as Batman dropped the Penguin onto the floor. "Got the bird-man, huh?"

"Maybe this time he'll _stay_ in jail," Batman muttered.

He walked over to the group and saw that Alex was holding Mr. Freeze's hand. To Batman's surprise, the badly burnt man was awake. He lay on his stomach, with his bare back exposed to the air. The burn scars on his skin were a grisly sight to behold. However, Batman noted that Fries lay on a thin layer of ice between him and the floor. Was his body already regenerating? Batman found himself hoping that were the case.

"Nora?!" Mr. Freeze suddenly said in a panic. "I-Is Nora all right? I saw them carry her away...."

"I'm here! I'm right here, Victor!" Alex said, with tears in her eyes. "You saved me!"

Victor Fries' eyes found those of the Batman's, and he said, "I'm sorry--for the havoc that I've caused."

"You're forgiven," the Batman gently told him. "Just hold on, Victor. Help is coming."

"Whoa," Robin muttered, as a crowd of police officers warily entered the vast room. "Looks like the cavalry has arrived. Shall we get the hell out of Dodge, Batman?"

"No, wait," the Dark Knight replied, once he saw a familiar face leading the police. "Jim Gordon's with them."

"Batman," Gordon called, with a relieved look on his face. With him were Bullock and Montoya, along with a group of uniformed officers who Batman knew were all loyal to Gordon. "Looks like you've got everything wrapped up."

Batman gestured at the still-unconscious Penguin. "The bird man is all yours, as well as the majority of his crew. Most of his gang fled the scene when the fight started. Mr. Freeze is also here, and in a bad way. He needs medical attention, ASAP."

"We've got an ambulance already enroute," Gordon told him. "But you really need to leave the scene, now. I've been informed by the mayor that the new commander of the Anti-Batman Squad is already on her way down here."

"On _her_ way down?" Robin asked. "It's a woman?"

"She's Leslie Curnow, formerly of the IAD. Garcia had personally promoted her to Inspector of the ABS, and when she heard about what went down out here, and that you were involved, she was extremely eager to come see the scene herself." Gordon let out a weary sigh. "I could order her to stay away, but--"

"But that would be seen as you hindering her investigation," Batman said with a nod. "I understand, Jim."

"Bear in mind, Bats," Bullock said, with a big grin, "we're letting you go, now. But, after today, we'll be hunting you."

"Yeah," Batman replied, as he turned away from them. "Good luck with that…."

"Oh, I ain't the one who'll be hunting ya, Bats," Bullock called. "It'll be those poor saps in the ABS--whenever Curnow gets around to appointing them. My money'll always be on you."

"There's a comforting thought," Batman commented wryly.

"One more thing, Batman," Gordon added. "You might want to ignore the Bat-signal from now on."

"Already planning to, Jim." Batman then said, sotto voce: "I'll stop by your office whenever we need to talk."

Gordon nodded, looking glum. "Sorry, Batman. I-I just don't know what we're going to do from now on with this situation like it is…."

"We keep fighting the good fight, Jim," Batman told him. "Anyway we can."

Olivia and Alex had elected to remain at the scene with Gordon and the others. Several officers, including Olivia and Montoya, kept the wounded Mr. Freeze covered with a tarp as the Batwing lifted off with Batman, Robin and Batgirl aboard.

"You think Mr. Freeze will make it?" Robin asked.

"His body was already regenerating new ice," Batman replied, as he shot the Batwing straight up into the sky, well clear of McHenry Air Force base's radar. It was already late afternoon; they would cruise around a bit until night fell, and then they could return home. "He's very resilent, Robin. You saw for yourself just how powerful he was getting."

"Yeah," Robin said sadly. "It's just a shame we can't do anything for his wife, Nora."

"Especially since there's already a cure for her disease in the works," Batgirl piped up from the back.

Batman and Robin stared in amazement at each other. Then Batman put the Batwing in auto-pilot as he slowly swung his seat around and gazed at Batgirl, who sat casually in her seat with her legs crossed.

She stared back at him, wide-eyed. "Um, something wrong?"

"There's a cure for what's killing Nora Fries?" Robin asked her. "Were you planning on telling us this anytime soon?"

"It's in the experimental stages," she quickly said. "The research is being conducted by a university hospital out in Los Angeles. I checked to see if Nora could go, but because the program is experimental, her health insurance would never pay for it."

"For your information, Batgirl, Nora Fries now has a new health insurance provider," Batman firmly said. "It's the Wayne Family Charity Foundation."

**B&B**

_The following day._

"What am I going to do with you, Babs?"

Bruce glanced up from the work he did on the Batsuit, which was mounted before him on its platform. Barbara Gordon sat sheepishly across from him on a bench, looking very much like the teenaged girl that she was with her red hair pulled back into a pony tail. Barefoot, she was clad in jeans and a t-shirt with the words 'Where's the party?!?!' cheerily written across the front.

With the invasion threat of Gotham City over, and now with the Penguin and his men safely behind bars, there was no further need for Barbra to remain at Wayne Manor for her safety. This would be the last night Barbra would spend here, before she went back home to her parents tomorrow. And Bruce had asked her to come down to the Batcave in the hope that he could talk to her about recent events--namely, about the resurrection of Batgirl.

"I am very sorry," she said haltingly, in what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech. "For going out as Batgirl without your knowledge, or your--"

"I'm not," he cut in.

That made Barbra sit up and stare at him wide-eyed. "You're not?!"

"If you hadn't made your move when you did, it would have been most likely that Olivia would have been abducted right along with Alex," Bruce told her. "You managed to keep Olivia safe while you fought off the Penguin and his men. That's no small feat. You saved Olivia's life, Barbra--and she herself even told me so."

"I just wish I could have saved Alex," Barbra said with regret.

"You did. You helped save her when you went with us to the Penguin's lair," he replied. "Never underestimate your contribution to what we do, Barbra. If you do, then before long, you'll start to doubt yourself--and that's the worse thing that can happen to one of us."

Bruce hesitated when he realized what he'd just said to her. Then he shook his head wearily and added, "You sure picked a hell of a time to be a superhero--you know that, Barbara?"

"I know," she said miserably. "We don't seem to be very popular at the moment. But, then again, we're not in this for the fame and glory."

Bruce nodded. If nothing else, she certainly had her head on straight about this. "Are you sure you want to continue?"

"Yes," she said firmly. "That is, if you'll let me."

"Why? I mean, why do you want to keep doing this?"

"Because now, more than ever, it looks like you could use the help."

He smiled. "Are you really _that_ good, that you think you can offer the Dark Knight some pointers? Does Batman look _that_ bad off to you?"

"No, of course not," she quickly said. "Look, I realize that I've come a long way since you first met me. But I also realize that there's still so much for me to learn--and I was hoping that you'd be the one to teach me. I just want to make a difference in the city that I love. I know there's a storm coming, Bruce, and like you, I just want to help Gotham City get through it in any way that I can."

Bruce had to admit that he was very impressed with her answer, as well as the somber, thoughtful manner in which Barbara had presented it. As much as he hated to do so, he nodded. "Very well. Don't bring your Batgirl outfit home with you. We'll keep it here, in the Batcave. I'll have Alfred prepare a proper storage space for it."

Barbra grinned broadly as she got up to hug him--yet Bruce held her at arm's length. "Wait one second here," he said. "Before you thank me, you need to understand that I call the shots around here. You don't make a move as Batgirl unless I know about it and ok it in advance. You do _exactly_ what I say at all times--even if that means you stay behind here in the Batcave and man the computer for us while we're out on the streets. Do you accept these terms?"

"Yes," Barbra said with a nod. "I do."

"Very well. Welcome to the team, Barbra."

"Thank you!" she cried, as she joyfully gave him a hug. "You won't regret this!"

"Why don't you go on upstairs?" he said. "Alfred should have lunch ready. Tell him that I'll be right up."

"Ok!"

As Bruce watched Barbra run over to the elevator with a skip in her step, he told himself that it was for the best this way. By adding her to the team, he would be keeping Barbra close by, and keeping an eye on her; there would be less chance of Barbra going out on her own and getting hurt.

Yet he did a double take when Barbra emerged from the elevator on the second floor alcove. She looked just like an excited little girl as she happily pumped her fists into the air. And when he saw that, Bruce anxiously thought, 'Dear God, I really hope I made the right decision….'

**B&B**

"Good bye, Nora!"

"Take care, sweetie!"

"Best of luck, Nora!"

Lucius Fox was touched at the heartfelt sentiment that poured from the doctors and nurses who all lined the hallways of the hospital as the paramedics wheeled the slumbering Nora out to an ambulance in a stretcher.

When Bruce had asked him to personally oversee Nora's transfer to the UCLA medical center, Lucius was only very happy to do so. He'd contacted UCLA, and was pleased to find out that they were already expecting Nora. It was just a matter of arranging the transportation for her.

As he walked with Nora and her paramedics, Lucius only wished that the woman could see the outpouring of love that had been expressed for her. He carried in his arms several stuffed animals that her stretcher could not hold, due to lack of space.

'When she gets better, I'll tell her all about it,' Lucius swore. 'Hell, I'll bring Nora back here and show her their love for her!'

As the paramedics loaded Nora into the ambulance, on their way to the airport, one of the nurses came up to Lucius and said, "Thank you, sir. For doing this for Nora. Thanks to you, she's got a real chance at life, now."

"Oh, it isn't me," Lucius said. "The Wayne Family Charity Foundation is paying all of Nora's expenses."  
"Bruce Wayne?" the nurse said, sounding surprised. "Oh, bless him! That man sounds like he's a real angel!"

"Why ma'am," Lucius said, as he climbed into the back of the ambulance with a broad smile, "you have no idea!"

**B&B**

Olivia Benson sat back in her seat at her desk and watched with suspicion as the news showed the President, as he praised the assembled group of heroes who were gathered in the White House Rose Garden with him. There were two teams of heroes: the Fantastic Four, and the Avengers. Tony Stark, who was clad in his Iron Man outfit, had removed his helmet and was acting very chummy with Sue Storm, from the Fantastic Four--who looked as if she really couldn't be bothered with him.

'What a lush,' Olivia thought, shaking her head at Stark. She recalled how Stark had even tried putting the moves on her when they met at Wayne Manor many months ago. Stark had tried to talk Bruce into a merger between Wayne Tech and Stark Industries--an offer which Bruce had politely declined.

"Let's hear it for these true American Heroes!" the President said, as he grandly gestured at Iron Man and the other gathered heroes.

There was something about this meeting at the White House that bothered Olivia. With the recent government crack down on superheroes that occurred over the past week, why were _these_ heroes singled out by the President as being the good guys? Olivia figured a part of what she felt could be jealousy; Batman and Superman certainly deserved to be standing up there--but a part of her couldn't help but wonder if this was a sign of something darker and more ominous that was coming.

She got up from her desk just as the news switched to another story, one about the new adminstrator of the Gotham City Star Labs. "His name is Dr. Robert Kirkland Langstrom," the female news announcer said. "Or, 'Kirk,' as he's known to his friends. And--sorry, ladies!--but the woman you see with him in the footage is his wife, Francine, who'll be working alongside the good doctor as he manages Star Labs here in Gotham City."

"We intend to continue with the cutting edge research that Star Labs is known for," Langstrom said in a news bite. "We hope to push the envelope of scientific discovery, and unveil great--"

'Just hope this moron runs the joint better than the previous pack of scumbags did,' Olivia thought, as she tuned out the news. She gazed out the window of her office. It was a slow day--thankfully--and all of her detectives were in the bullpen today, including Olivia's newest recruit.

Olivia smiled at Katie Farlane, who sat at her desk, anxiously rearranging the items on her desktop for the umpteenth time. 'The poor kid,' Olivia thought with a chuckle. 'Her first day as a detective, and she's a nervous wreck! God, was I ever _that_ green?'

It was far more than just the favor that Kate Farlane did for Olivia on the rooftop of her building that made Olivia bring the young policewoman on board as a detective with the SVU. In that moment on the rooftop, Kate Farlane had proven to Olivia that she was a compassionate young woman who was not afraid to bend the rules, if need be--which made her a perfect candidate for the SVU, as far as Olivia was concerned. After reviewing Kate Farlane's police file--which was letter perfect; complete with a commendation from her superior officer for performance of her job above and beyond the call of duty--Olivia extended the offer to Kate to join the SVU. And Olivia was very happy when Kate accepted.

Olivia realized that things would go easier for Kate if she'd could just find her a partner--but the problem was everybody within the SVU were already paired up. Poor Kate was presently the odd woman out. 'Maybe I could go out with Kate,' Olivia thought, 'just for her first few calls, until--'

Olivia's musings were interrupted when Alex strode into the SVU bullpen, dressed to kill in her usual classy business suit. She exchanged a cheery hello with all the detectives as she strode into Olivia's office.

"What the hell are you doing in today?" Olivia asked her, annoyed. "I thought we agreed that you would take the whole week off."

"I did," Alex replied. "Or, I _was_ going to do that, but today's the day the Penguin was arraigned in court, and I didn't want to miss it."

"How did Rachel do?"

Alex grinned broadly as she abruptly jumped up and down like an excited little girl. "She threw the book at him! All told, if he's found guilty on all of the charges that Rachel pressed, he'll have to spend at least 1200 years in jail before he's even eligible for parole!"

Olivia, who was overjoyed to see her lover so happy, embraced Alex tightly. "Oh, I'm so glad to hear that, babe!"

"Of course, we still have to get through the trial," Alex told her, after they parted from their embrace. "But Rachel is prosecuting the Penguin herself, and, with the mountain of evidence we have against him--"

"--including the witnesses," Olivia reminded her. "Don't forget all the witnesses!"

Alex nodded. "Yes, that's right. This case is as good as--"

When she stopped and stared at something in surprise, Olivia glanced over at the doorway and saw a handsome man standing there in a suit.

"Excuse me," he said--and his voice sounded oddly familiar to Olivia. "I hope I'm not interrupting. But I was looking for Inspector Benson."

"Yeah, that's me," Olivia said. "Do I know you?"

He stepped over to Olivia and handed her a file. "I'm a new transfer to your unit, from Boston, PD."

"I didn't hear anything about this," Olivia said, as she read his file. Everything appeared in order. Olivia just wondered why she hadn't been told anything about this transfer. Then her eyes grew wide when she saw the man's name in the file: John Jones.

Alex quickly tapped her on the arm. "Liv, look!"

Olivia glanced up to see Detective Jones had already closed her office door and was now closing the blinds in her windows. Her hand instinctively dropped down by her holstered gun. "What are you doing, Detective?"

"There's something I need to show you…Liv," he said.

And then he shimmered--the man's entire body appeared to waver and shake as it transformed into a larger figure with green skin. And before she knew it, Olivia found herself staring at J'onn J'onzz, the Martain Manhunter.

"J'onn!" Olivia said with a broad smile.

J'onn smiled back at her--until he gestured at something to Olivia's side.

Olivia turned and was stunned when she saw that Alex was freaking out to the point where she was almost hyperventilating. "HOLY JESUS CHRIST!"

Olivia grabbed her lover's hands. "Alex, look at me…."

Alex's eyes were wide behind her glasses. "How can I look at you, when a supervillian just strides right into your office, and--"

"This is J'onn J'onzz, the Martain Manhunter," Olivia told her. "I told you all about him! We first met at Lex Luthor's Warehouse 15, out in Kansas? And he saved my life again when Wonder Woman attacked. J'onn's one of the good guys, remember?"

"Yes, ok," Alex said, as she stared wide-eyed at the large green man. "Ok...."

"I apologize for frightening you, Alex," J'onn said sincerely. "I needed to see Olivia, and this was the only way I could do so."

"No, t-that's fine," Alex told him, as she still clung protectively to Olivia's arm. "Really! I'm good...."

"Why did you need to see me, J'onn?" Olivia asked.

"I need something from you, Liv," he said.

"Anything," she replied. "Just name it."

"I need sanctuary."

Olivia glanced down at the police file. "You mean you were serious about this? You want to join my squad?"

"Yes, if you'll have me. With the Justice League disbanded, I have no real home to speak of. But then I thought of Gotham City. I already found an apartment here. But now I need a job."

"As a cop?" Olivia asked, stunned. Then she realized that, even if he didn't have that much police experience, J'onn's abilities would still come in very handy with the SVU. "But why here? Why at my squad?"

"Because, out of the entire Gotham City police department, your squad is one of the few that make the most difference," he replied. "And I would like to help you in your struggles, if I could. I'd like to continue to make a difference, even while I live undercover for the time being."

"Yes. You're more than welcome to join the SVU team," Olivia said quickly.

J'onn nodded at her in gratitude. "Thank you, Olivia. You will not regret your decision."

She held up the police file. "Just one question. Where did you get this? I mean, I assume you're not really a cop from Boston, right?"

J'onn smiled slightly. "My transfer, along with the whole file, was made up for me by The Question. Speaking of whom, he would like to meet with you later tonight, on the roof of police headquarters."

"Oh, I'd like a few words with him, as well," Olivia said with a nod. Then she smiled as an idea occurred to her. "You might want to change back into your human form, J'onn. I've got somebody whom I'd like for you to meet."

Olivia then stepped out of her office and said, "Katie? Come in here for a sec. I'd like to introduce you to your new partner."

With the exception of Alex, who sat on the sidelines, looking like she'd seen a ghost, the meeting between J'onn and Katie went very well. Olivia even took them out into the bullpen, where she formally introduced J'onn as the latest member of the SVU. As Katie gleefully helped J'onn set up a desk right across from hers, Olivia went back inside her office, where Alex sat staring at her as if she were insane.

"What?" Olivia asked, as she closed the door.

"You have a Martian on your squad," Alex said wryly, being careful not to say it too loudly. "I mean, for real!"

"Yeah, I know," Olivia said with a weary chuckle. She could hardly believe this sudden turn of events herself. "It's crazy…but what was I gonna say, Alex, no? The guy _was_ asking for sanctuary, after all. He needed my help. And he's helped me so many times."

"I understand. It's just that he shouldn't even be in this position in the first place," Alex said as she got up. "The Justice League should never have been disbanded. I stopped by my office earlier and received some updated wanted reports by the feds. Did you know that Green Arrow and Black Canary have just been added to that list as wanted fugitives?"

"Oh, jeez," Olivia muttered sadly. "You know, I can't help but wonder if this whole Justice League mess, with them invading Gotham City, was a set up. I'm just not sure by who. I'm actually glad I'm meeting with The Question later, because I've got some real hard questions for him."

Alex paused to gaze at Kate and J'onn through the window as they chatted animatedly with each other. "They seem like they're getting on very well. Do you think they'll last?"

"I think so," Olivia said with a smile. "In fact, Alex, I'd be willing to bet that J'onn and Katie have some very interesting adventures ahead of them."

**B&B**

As General Nathaniel Hardcastle strode down the corridor, he gazed at each and every one of the prisoners in their cells. The cells were basically large boxes that had been cut into the walls on either side of the corridor, with the prisoners being kept inside with engery shields. The shields were a marvelous invention; for they kept the prisoners contained while still presenting a full view of them.

Hardcastle looked on with scorn at the prisoners, who were all dressed in the standard basic prison garb--barefoot, with light gray cotton pants. The men wore t-shirts, while the women were clad in tank tops. He smiled faintly as many of the prisoners glared back at him with complete hatred. All except for the occupants of one cell.

They were a trio of children--all no older than twelve--who huddled together against the far wall, and when Hardcastle came upon them, they fearfully hugged each other more tightly. These three were among the "students" that Hardcastle's men had rounded up at Professor Xavier's little school. Although it was easy to forget that they were merely children, Hardcastle reminded himself that there was originally four children in this cell. The little girl who escaped, Kitty Pride, had originally been taken down with tranqilizer darts when she was captured at the school--but once she woke up in her cell, the little bugger had walked straight through the damn wall. Three extra mut-trac teams had been assigned just to recapture the Pride girl, who was still on the loose.

'They're simply not human,' Hardcastle told himself, as he resumed walking. 'They're not like the rest of us. It was about damn time that we started hunting them down like the freaks that they truly were.'

This fact was only strengthened for the general when he stopped by another cell, whose inhabitant was a young woman in her late teens. Despite her young age, she had a lone streak of gray in her hair. Because of her belligerent nature--and her extremely dangerous power--she sat on the floor with her arms encased in a straight jacket.

"What the hell are _you_ looking at?!" she angrily asked him.

'A dangerous animal who's about to be made extinct,' Hardcastle thought with a smug smile.

"General!"

He glanced over when Dr. Hugo Strange, one of the research scientists in the facility, came up to him. "He's here!" the bald man said excitedly. "He's arriving, now!"

"Then let's go greet him, shall we?"

Strange and Hardcastle stood waiting in the main lobby as the massive security doors slid open, revealing the newest 'guest' to their facility. The man, who was surrounded by armed soldiers, stood in an armored suit with his arms bound behind him. The suit, which had a clear glass bubble helmet so that its wearer's face could be seen, was designed to repress his power--which, as was seen on the streets of Gotham City recently, had proven to be quite formidable.

Hardcastle walked up to the man and said, "Mr. Freeze, welcome to your new home here, at the Cadmus Project. I'm General Hardcastle, the commander of this installation. Do you have any questions?"

When Mr. Freeze merely glowered at him with unblinking dead eyes, Hardcastle chuckled. "A man of few words, eh? Perhaps that's for the best."

"Oh, believe me, general," Mr. Freeze abruptly said, "when I deign to speak, you shall hear me all too clearly."

Hardcastle was taken aback by that reply--so much so that he felt a slight chill run up his back. "Take him to his cell," he said gruffy. "And make sure the guard on him is doubled."

"Yes sir," the sergeant said, as he and his men escorted Mr. Freeze down the corridor.

"Excuse me, general," Dr. Strange said. "But I must go see if the monitoring devices are working in Mr. Freeze's cell."

'Damn good idea to keep a close eye on that one,' Hardcastle anxiously thought, as he watched Mr. Freeze being led away. 'Because _he_ looks like he might be trouble….'

**B&B**

"Nice night to take in the scenery," a voice called out from the darkness.

Olivia, who stood on the roof of police headquarters, turned and saw The Question as he stepped out from behind the switched-off Bat-signal. The man was dressed in his usual outfit, which consisted of a suit with an overcoat and hat--along with the mask that blanked out all of the features of his face.

"You should enjoy this moment, Inspector," The Question said. "For it is but the quiet before the storm, and may be the _last_ quiet moment you'll have for a while."

Olivia was shocked to hear him say that. "How bad is it?"

"Much, much worse than even _I_ had initially thought," he replied. "I had assumed that we'd have at least a year before Cadmus made its move. But apparently, they've been emboldened by the break up of the Justice League. And so, the great witch hunt has begun even as we speak."

"Cadmus," Olivia said, startled. "Yes, Superman mentioned them. Who are they?"

"Your enemy," The Question bluntly replied. "They are the classic covert black ops groups, the secret government within the government, whose job it is to bring these pesky meta-humans into line. And those who can't be brought into line are made to disappear."

"They're killed?"

"No. They're taken captive and brought to a super secret facility. I'm still working to try and track down its location, but I know that Mr. Freeze has already been brought there, along with most of the captured students from the X-Men's headquarters."

"But they're not hunting everybody," Olivia said, with a puzzled frown. "The President had a bunch of heroes over at the White House today. I saw it on the news."

"Ah, yes, the superheroic lackeys," The Question derisively said. "The Fantasic Four, who've performed special ops assignments for the government, and who answer directly to a military liason named General Hager. And there's also The Avengers, who are commanded by Iron Man, aka Tony Stark, a former arms dealer who still enjoys close ties with the government. Oh yes, I can see why the President just _loves_ these guys!"

Olivia felt a growing coldness in the pit of her stomach. "So you're saying that all of these heroes are in the pocket of the government."

"They're as approved by the government as the meat you buy in your supermarket--which is something I don't advise you to do. The USDA's seal of approval on meat is a farce, at best."

'This guy's a walking enclyopedia of conspiracy theories,' Olivia realized. She wondered briefly if The Question might actually be related to John Munch. "I was told that you wanted to meet with me up here tonight. Was this what you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes, as well as to give you a warning, Inspector: watch Leslie Curnow, and watch her very carefully."

"The new commander of the Anti-Batman Squad?"

The Question nodded. "She serves two masters, Inspector. Before she joined the Gotham City Police Force, she was a special forces soldier who performed black ops missions under the command of a General Nathaniel Hardcastle. General Hardcastle is now a very close advisor to the President. I suspect he may be involved with Cadmus, but I need to keep digging."

Olivia's eyes grew wide. "There's no mention of a military record in Curnow's file at all. It said she transferred from Metropolis PD three years ago!"

"Surprise, surprise," The Question said. "Leave it to the people who wish to destroy others' privacy to carefully guard their own. Please heed my warning, Inspector, and keep a _very_ close eye on her. You have a viper in your midst."

"Thank you--and I mean that," Olivia told him. She then shook her head. "I only wish that you could stick around."

The Question nodded. "I fully intend to, Inspector. In fact, I rather like Gotham City. Such a devious old town, with plenty of mysteries within its nooks and crannies. It seems like it's the perfect place for someone like me to hang my hat."

'First J'onn, and now this guy,' Olivia thought, as she smiled slightly. "I'm really glad to hear that. We could use your help. And you're not the first superhero to recently make Gotham City his new home."

"And I probably won't be the last," The Question told her. "Out of all the established heroes, the Batman both confuses and scares the powers that be the most. They simply don't know what to make of him. This is why, instead of a more direct approach, Cadmus chose to try and come at him through Inspector Curnow. And it's also because of the Batman's presence that other heroes may see Gotham City as a sanctuary."

"You know something," Olivia said, as she nodded her head thoughtfully. "You just gave me an idea…."

"I hope so, Inspector," The Question said. "And I hope to be just as much of a help to you and the others in the dark days to come. Because Cadmus means business. They show no mercy, and they will not quit."

"Neither will we," Olivia promised.

When she returned to Wayne Manor, Olivia gathered everybody--Bruce, Dick, Rachel, Alex, Barbra and Alfred--in the living room and told them of her meeting with The Question. They listened solemnly, and reacted with both shock and anger.

"I've wondered if the whole confrontation between Wonder Woman and Gotham City was just a set up," Bruce said.

"You mean that Wonder Woman was in on it?" Rachel asked.

"No, most likely she was used right along with the rest of us," Bruce replied. "We've all been played, Rachel. By Cadmus."

"In many ways, this is even worse than facing an invasion by the Justice League," Alex said.

"But it's also a golden opportunity," Olivia said. "For us."

"What do you mean, Liv?" Barbra asked.

"J'onn and The Question have taken refuge here, in Gotham City," Olivia told them. "And I really think that that should be the case for any hero who's presently on the run. I want to make Gotham City a sanctuary for all of them. The city government is sympathetic to their cause--we're only going along with the crackdown, officially, because we have no choice. But unofficially, we could be running a sort of Underground Railroad for these fugitive heroes."

Alfred smiled broadly at her. "Funny you should say that, Liv. Because Wayne Manor has had some experience with the real thing."

"Really?" Olivia asked.

Bruce nodded. "The Batcave was used by my ancestors as a hiding place for slaves in the Underground Railroad, during the Civil War."

"I'm all for helping these guys," Dick said. "But are we really talking about hiding them in the Batcave?"

"No, of course not," Olivia told him. "But there must be places within Gotham City where we _could _hide them, to keep them safe."

"I once ran a women's shelter," Alex chimed in. "And I still do, to a point. I keep in touch with my former friends and staff, there. And I can tell you that hiding an abused woman from her battering spouse is basically the same concept as hiding a fuigitve hero from the government. And I'm speaking from experience when I say that Gotham City is a very easy place for somebody to get lost in--if they really want to. I'm in."

"So am I," Bruce said.

"And me," Dick added.

Alfred nodded at Olivia. "This is a fine idea, Olivia. Count me in as well."

"It's an illegal idea," Rachel said thoughtfully. "And officially, I was never here, and I never heard this conversation. But unofficially, if you ever need any help from me, don't hesitate to ask, Liv."

"I'm in, too," Barbra said. "And, I think it's safe to say that my dad would want to be a part of this, as well."

After an hour of chatting over the details of making their 'Underground Railroad' work, Olivia went over to the window and took a break. Bruce came over, and said, "You're amazing, you know that, sis?"

"I am?" she asked with a smile.

"Only you could create hope within a dire situation such as this," Bruce replied.

"Thanks." She thoughtfully watched as lighting light up the night sky outside the windows. "How long do you think we'll need to do this?"

"As long as it takes, Liv," Bruce said confidently. "If we're gong to beat this Cadmus bunch, the main thing we have to do is to outlast them."

Olivia nodded, as she welcomed the warm feeling of security that she felt right now. It felt good to be doing something; it felt great to be fighting back. "I like how you think, Bruce."

**B&B**

The black sedan stopped on a ridge on the outskirts of Gotham City. The driver, a hulking bald man, got out and opened the rear door for his passenger. She was a petite woman, clad in an exotic wrap that covered the top of her satin dress.

She strode to the edge of the ridge, and calmly took in the view of Gotham City before her. This would be her first visit to this city. Next to Boston, Gotham City was one of the oldest cities in the United States; its neighborhoods and streets forming a vitual labyrinth of hiding places for the Batman.

'It will take time and patience to find the Dark Knight,' she thought. 'But I have plenty of both--enough to last me for several lifetimes.'

Satisfied with her first view of the future hunting ground, she turned to her servant and said, "I've seen enough. Come, Ubu."

"Yes, mistress," Ubu said, as he held the door open for her. Once she was safely in the sedan, he got in and drove the back sedan into the night, where it seemingly melted with the darkness.

**The end...for now.**

_A/N: This story could have gone on for another ten chapters, and it almost did, but I decided that the events to come deserved their own full-lenght story. And so it will continue in B&B 5, which I'm already making plot notes on. I'd like to thank everybody who has supported me, and the B&B stories. It's your encouragment that makes me want to continue this saga._

_I would also like to thank Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard for their marvelous score from The Dark Knight. I've nearly worn out my CD copy of this while writing this story. And if you, gentle reader, need some good music to listen to while reading the B&B stories, you can't go wrong with The Dark Knight soundtrack. It puts me right on the streets of Gotham City with its opening bars of music. _


End file.
